NNPC Sacks Wunti, Onoja, Other Top Officials in Post-Kyari Shake-Up, Over 200 Staff Affected
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has sacked top officials of the national oil company, about 27 days after the exit of its erstwhile Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mele Kyari. However, it was learnt that several other lower and middle class staff were also affected by the restructuring drive, which was first reported by an online newspaper on Tuesday. Top among those departing immediately are the Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Services (NUIMS), Bala Wunti. NUIMS is the investment management arm of the NNPC. It manages the Nigerian government’s investments in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, plus its equity holdings in Joint Venture (JV), Production Sharing Contract (PSC), and Service Contract (SC) companies. Besides, NUIMS, a powerful unit in the company, oversees the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NipeX), an electronic platform for contracting in the upstream sector. Others who were affected by the sackings included: The Managing Director of the Kaduna Refinery, Ibrahim Onoja as well the Chief Compliance Officer and former Managing Director of NNPC Trading, Lawal Sade. But a source who confirmed the development to THISDAY, sought to downplay it, describing it as ‘routine’ and stressed that a number of those who were asked to leave their posts were already on their way out due to retirement; “Some people with 18 months to retirement were giving the option of early exit, other were giving lump sums to go while some were promoted to fill the vacant positions.” Some have however insinuated that some of the firings had to do with their closeness to the former GCEO Kyari who was fired by the President early this month. Wunti, for instance, was particularly close to Kyari when he held sway at the oil company. Aside from the top officials who were asked to leave, over 200 other employees were impacted, THISDAY understood. Furthermore, Maryam Idrisu has now taken over as Managing Director of NNPC Trading, the unit responsible for all crude oil transactions, while Obioma Abangwu is now Chief Liaison Officer for board matters. Apart from recent changes in the leadership of the company, the last time a mass purge took place was in September 2023, when the NNPC announced the exit of several employees and some management staff. At the time, the company, in a statement, said the reorganisation was in line with its commitment to scale up its capabilities “through targeted talent management and equal opportunity for all Nigerians”, noting that only staff members with less than 15 months to retirement will be affected. Earlier in the month, President Bola Tinubu removed Kyari as the GCEO of NNPC, replacing him with Bayo Ojulari. He also dissolved the NNPC board and appointed a new 11-man board led by Ahmadu Kida as non-executive chairman.
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