Days after it’s COO abruptly resigned, NNPC embarks on leadership shakeup  

State-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Sunday announced new appointments and redeployments across its leadership, four days after its immediate-past Chief Operating Officer (COO), Roland Ewubare, abruptly handed in  his resignation.

The decision to make some changes in the organisation’s hierarchy was taken “as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen and reposition NNPC for greater efficiency, transparency and profitability in line with the Next Level Agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration,” says Kennie Obateru, NNPC’s spokesman in a statement on the corporation’s website.

It is speculated that Mr Ewubare quit the state-owned firm on health grounds to find recuperation outside work life.

“Everybody in NNPC who is close to the man knew that he has been battling with some very serious health challenges for a long time due to some undisclosed illness.

“The ailment did not allow him to concentrate on his official duties,” a source said last week.

Adokiye Tombomieye, Group General Manager of NNPC’s Crude Oil Marketing Division, is now the COO, Upstream.

READ ALSO:  NNPC COO, Ewubare, quits abruptly

Mohammed Abdulkabir Ahmed Nigerian Gas Marketing Company’s (NGMC’s) Managing Director, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services in replacement of Farouk Garba Said, who exited the firm in the week that just went by.

The big reshuffle in the NNPC hierarchy also involved Billy Okoye, the Managing Director of NNPC’s downstream arm, NNPC Retail Limited, who will take over the role of Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division a space left by Tombomieye.

Mrs Elizabeth Aliyuda, General Manager, Sales and Marketing NNPC Retail Limited, replaces Okoye.

In the same vein, the Executive Director of Asset Management and Technical Services, Usman Farouk, is now NGMC’s head.

Another release by Obateru, who heads NNPC’s Public Affairs Division, says Buhari has accepted the resignation of Mr. Ewubare, who was until recently the Chief Operating Officer, Ventures and New Business Directorate of the National Oil Company.

He approved the retirement of Said also.

Opinions