April 30, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has relieved the Managing Directors of its three state-owned refineries—Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna—of their duties, in a sweeping shake-up that also affected several senior management staff with less than one year left before retirement.
Although the development has yet to be officially announced by the company, sources within NNPC confirmed that Ibrahim Onoja, Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC); Dr. Mustafa Sugungun, Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC); and Efifia Chu, Managing Director of Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC), have all been removed from their positions.
Also affected is Bala Wunti, former Chief Upstream Investment Officer at the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), who was recently reassigned to oversee health, safety, and environmental compliance across NNPC operations. He has reportedly been directed to proceed on exit.
The mass removal of senior executives is said to be part of a broader restructuring strategy aimed at repositioning the national oil company for improved efficiency and performance under its new leadership.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier sacked the former Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Mele Kyari, along with the company’s board, and appointed former Shell Nigeria Managing Director, Bayo Ojulari, as the new head of the national oil firm.
Sources told THEWILL that the ongoing overhaul is intended to reset the company’s direction and improve accountability as part of a renewed corporate governance framework.
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