Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Mele Kyari as the new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
An NNPC statement by its spokesperson, Ndu Ughamadu, said President Buhari also appointed seven new Chief Operating Officers.
Until his new appointment, Mr Kyari, a geologist, was Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of NNPC and also doubled, since May 2018, as Nigeria’s National Representative to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
President Buhari has directed that the New GMD and the newly appointed Chief Operating Officers work with the current occupiers of the various offices till July 7, 2019, towards a smooth transition on July 8, 2019, when their appointments would take effect to ensure a smooth transition.
However, the appointment of Farouk Garba Said (North West), who is replacing a retiring Chief Operating Officer, is effective from June 28, 2019.
The newly appointed Chief Operating Officers are:
1. Roland Onoriode Ewubare (South-South) – Chief Operating Officer, Upstream
2. Mustapha Yinusa Yakubu (North Central) – Chief Operating Officer Refining and Petrochemicals
3. Yusuf Usman (North East) – Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power
4. Lawrencia Nwadiabuwa Ndupu (South East), Chief Operating Officer Ventures
5. Umar Isa Ajiya (North West) – Chief Financial Officer
6. Adeyemi Adetunji (South West) – Chief Operating Officer, Downstream and
7. Farouk Garba Said (North West) – Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services.
Mr Ughamadu said the outgoing GMD, Maikanti Baru, had congratulated the new appointees.
