Engr. Bayo Bashir Ojulari was appointed as the 20th head of Nigeria’s state-owned oil firm on April 2, 2025, following the president’s decision to sack Mele Kyari and dissolve the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited).
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To some analysts, Kyari had overstayed his tenure, given the inefficiencies that plagued NNPC Limited, including its failure to restore NNPC-controlled refineries to full production capacity.
Now, Bayo Ojulari is the man at the helm. His career in the oil and gas sector spans over three decades, beginning in 1989.
Education
Ojulari hails from Kwara State in Nigeria’s North Central geopolitical zone. He studied Mechanical Engineering at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, from 1985 to 1989. Upon graduation, he joined the multinational oil company Shell Group.
Career
After completing the mandatory one-year national service at Elf Petroleum Nigeria, he was retained by the company as a Fields and Process Engineer from September 1989 to October 1991. He then moved to Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), a subsidiary of Shell Group, where he spent over 30 years in various roles, eventually rising to the position of Managing Director in November 2015.
At SPDC Nigeria, he began his career as an Associate Production Technologist (November 1991 – May 1994). Between June 1994 and October 1995, he was part of the Integrated Studies Team at Shell Headquarters in the Netherlands. From April 1997 to November 1999, he served as Head of Planning, Economics, and Budgeting at SPDC Nigeria before being transferred to the Sultanate of Oman, where he worked as Asset Leader and Head Production Technologist from December 1999 to September 2003.
Ojulari later returned to Shell Headquarters in the Netherlands as Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Planner (October 2003 – December 2004). In November 2006, he resumed at SPDC Nigeria, rising to Manager of Asset Development (Onshore and Shallow Water) in October 2008. Earlier, he held roles such as Manager of Corporate Planning & Strategy and Asset Production Technologist (October 2008 – October 2010).
From January 2010 to October 2015, he served as SPDC Nigeria’s Development Director, overseeing a $100 million annual operating budget and a workforce of 3,000. He also managed petroleum engineering aspects of 100 oil and gas fields, among other responsibilities.
In November 2015, he was appointed Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), a position he held until July 2021.
By January 2024, he became the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company, a Nigerian-based consortium comprising five companies, including four exploration and production firms.
On April 2, 2025, President Bola Tinubu appointed him as the new Group CEO of NNPC Limited, succeeding Mele Kyari and making him the 20th GMD of NNPC.
As a Consultant
In September 2021, Ojulari joined BAT Advisory & Energy Company Nigeria Ltd, a consultancy firm serving indigenous and multinational oil companies. He currently serves as the board chairman of the company.
A search on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal by InfomediaNG revealed that the company was registered as a limited liability entity on February 9, 2001.
BAT Advisory played a significant role in the 100% sale of SPDC Nigeria to Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited on March 13, 2025. The company also provides consultancy services to Trewan Energy Limited, ND Western Limited, and Mars Exploration & Production Company.
The Task Ahead
For years, the state-owned oil company has been ineffective, preferring to blend oil in Malta—a small European country—and import petroleum products rather than revamping its refineries. Although the Port Harcourt refinery resumed operations on November 26, 2024, its production has been inconsistent, and Nigeria’s reliance on imported refined petroleum remains high.
Even after its transition from NNPC to NNPC Limited in July 2022 under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, many Nigerians believe the state-owned company has seen little operational change.
Will the new GCEO, Bayo Ojulari, leverage his 30+ years of experience in the oil and gas industry to revive NNPC Limited’s refineries and make it as competitive as Saudi Aramco?