President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday approved the sack of the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Austen Oniwon and the appointment of Andrew Yakubu as the new helmsman of the corporation.

The change of the NNPC management team was disclosed in a press statement signed by the Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati.

The president also approved the appointment of Victor Briggs as the new Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).
According to the statement, the decision to restructure the NNPC was in a bid to strengthen the on-going reforms and transformation of Nigeria’s Petroleum sector.

Part of the statement reads:

”in furtherance of efforts to achieve greater transparency and accountability in government, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the re-composition of the executive management team of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as follows:
• Engineer Andrew Yakubu                                             Group Managing Director
• Mr. Bernard O.N. Otti                                                     Group Executive Director (Finance and Accounts)
• Engineer Abiye Membere                                              Group Executive Director (Exploration and Production)
• Dr. Peter S. Nmadu                                                          Group Executive Director (Corporate Services)
• Engineer Anthony Ogbuigwe                                       Group Executive Director (Refineries & Petrochemicals)
• Dr. Attahir B. Yusuf                                                         Group Executive Director (Commercial & Investments)
• Dr. David Ige                                                                      Group Executive Director (Gas & Power)”

The new Group Managing Director, of NNPC, Mr Yakubu graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1979 with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

He joined the NNPC in 1980 and has held different positions in the corporation including Managing Director of the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company and Group Executive Director (Exploration and Production).

Mr Yakubu is an indigene of Kaduna State and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

The outgoing GMD, Mr Oniwon, along with other members of his team, who were fired including Michael Arokodare (outgoing Group Executive Director (Finance and Accounts), Philip Chukwu (outgoing Group Executive Director (Refineries & Petrochemicals), and Billy Agha (outgoing Group Executive Director (Engineering & Technology)) are all to proceed on retirement immediately.

President Jonathan commended the outgoing directors for their service to the nation and urged the new management team to be fully committed to rapidly implementing the critical interventions needed to positively transform Nigeria’s petroleum industry.