Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Ojulari succeeds Mele Kyari, who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2019.
Kyari, after serving for five years, became the longest-serving NNPCL CEO.
Bashir Ojulari is a seasoned engineer specializing in petroleum, process, and production engineering.
Until his recent appointment, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company, a firm that spearheaded the landmark $2.4 billion acquisition of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria’s entire equity holding.
Born in Kwara State, Ojulari holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).
He began his career at Elf Petroleum Nigeria as a Field and Process Engineer.
Ojulari has worked extensively in Europe and the Middle East, holding various managerial positions in petroleum engineering, process engineering, production engineering, and health and safety management.
With over 34 years of experience in the global oil and gas industry, Ojulari’s expertise spans petroleum asset acquisition and divestment, exploration, field development, production management, strategic planning, investment evaluation, and commercial negotiations.
One of the defining highlights of his career was his tenure as Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) from 2015 to 2021.
Under his leadership, SNEPCo managed deep-water assets with a production capacity of 320,000 barrels per day and an annual operating budget of $1 billion.
During his time at SNEPCo, Ojulari led remarkable improvements, including a 20% increase in production, a 30% reduction in operational costs, and a 40% reduction in capital project expenses.
His ability to navigate complex commercial agreements was instrumental in securing new production-sharing contracts and dispute resolution agreements for Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118, underpinning growth projects worth $6–8 billion.
Ojulari’s work with companies such as ND Western Limited, Trewan Energy Limited, and Renaissance Africa Energy Company has further solidified his reputation as a strategic thinker and problem solver.
His leadership at NNPCL is expected to bring innovation, efficiency, and strategic growth to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
