Buhari appoints Margaret Okadigbo as Chairman NNPC Ltd, makes other oil sector appointments
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Senator Margaret Chuba Okadigbo, wife of late former Senate President, Dr Chuba Okadigbo, as the new Chairman Board of Directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
The appointment was done by the president in accordance with the power vested on him under Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, where he also announced the appointment of other Board members of the NNPC Limited and Executive Commissioners of the regulatory agencies.
Okadigbo replaces Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, who was appointed about 4 months ago.
Other appointed members of the Board of NNPC Limited include Mele Kolo Kyari, Chief Executive Officer, and Umar I. Ajiya, Chief Financial Officer; 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 statement points out that the appointments take effect from the date of the incorporation of the NNPC Limited.
Adesina in the statement also announced the appointment of 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. In a similar vein, new appointments were also made in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
They 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.
Others are 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 in September 2021, 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.
