Buhari drops Ararume as NNPC Board Chairman

President Muhammadu Buhari has dropped Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

The President also replaced Senator Ararume with Senator Margret Okadigbo, wife of a former President of the Senate and running mate to President Buhari in 2007 under the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, late Senator Chuba Okadigbo.

The President suspended the inauguration of the board and management scheduled for November 23, 2021.

The replacement of Ararume as the NNPC Board Chairman and his replacement with Senator Okadigbo was announced via a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina on Wednesday in Abuja.

The statement read: “President Muhammad Buhari has appointed the Board and Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, in accordance with the power vested in him under Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

“Chairman of the Board is Senator Margret Chuba Okadigbo (South East), Mele Kolo Kyari, Chief Executive Officer, and Umar I. Ajiya, Chief Financial Officer.

“Other Board Members are; Dr Tajudeen Umar (North East), Mrs Lami O. Ahmed (North Central), Mallam Mohammed Lawal (North West), Engr. Henry Obih (South East), Barrister Constance Harry Marshal (South South), and Chief Pius Akinyelure(South West).

“The appointments take effect from the date of the incorporation of the NNPC Limited.

“Also appointed are Executive Commissioners of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. They are: Dr Nuhu Habib (Kano), Executive Commissioner, Development and Production, Dr Kelechi Onyekachi Ofoegbu (Imo), Executive Commissioner, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning, Capt. Tonlagha Roland John (Delta), Executive Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, and Jide Adeola (Kogi), Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services and Administration.

“Earlier appointed are the Board Chairman, CEO, Executive Commissioner, Exploration and Acreage Management, and Executive Commissioner, Finance and Accounts.

“New appointees at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority are Francis Alabo Ogaree (Rivers), Executive Director, Hydrocarbon Processing, Mustapha Lamorde (Adamawa), Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, Mansur Kuliya (Kano), Executive Director, Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, Bashir Sadiq (Sokoto), Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration, and Dr. Zainab Gobir (Kwara), Executive Director, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning.

“They join the Board Chairman, Executive Director, Downstream Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, the CEO, and Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, who had earlier been appointed.

“For Midstream and Downstream Infrastructure Fund, new Council Members are; Mr. Effiong Abia (Akwa Ibom), Bobboi Ahmed (Adamawa), and Engr. Abdullahi Bukar (Katsina).

“It will be recalled that President Buhari had last September written the Senate on the administrative structure amendments to the Petroleum Industry Act, which included the appointment of Non-Executive Board Members, removal of the Ministries of Petroleum and Finance from the Board of the two new institutions, and appointment of Executive Directors.”