Over 200 Senior Staff fired in major restructuring at NNPC
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd has terminated the services of several senior staff members as part of a significant restructuring exercise.
Sources told Salient Times that the affected staff include Bala Wunti, former chief of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Ibrahim Onoja, managing director of the Kaduna Refinery, and Lawal Sade, chief compliance officer and former managing director of NNPC Trading.
The terminations which took effect immediately, are believed to be linked to the staff members’ close association with Mele Kyari, the former Group Chief Executive Officer who was removed from office on April 2, 2025.
The restructuring, which has impacted over 200 employees, marks the beginning of what may be a series of staff changes.
However, the changes have also led to increased representation of women in senior leadership roles, with Maryam Idrisu appointed as managing director of NNPC Trading, overseeing all crude oil transactions, and Obioma Abangwu as chief liaison officer for board matters.
The new appointments are reported to have been well-received by staff, coming four weeks after Bayo Ojulari took over as the new Group CEO.
Ojulari notably appointed an eight-member senior management team just three days into his tenure
