Buhari appoints late Chuba Okadigbo’s wife as NNPC Board Chairman

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Margret Okadigbo as Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the appointee is the wife of a former Senate president and Mr Buhari’s running mate in 2007 under the All Peoples Party of Nigeria, ANPP.

Ms Okadigbo is replacing Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, who has been having an ongoing battle with Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State.

The replacement is listed in a statement issued by the president’s special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, on Wednesday in Abuja.

The statement read: “President Muhammad Buhari has appointed the Board and Management of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, in accordance with the power vested in it by Section 59 (2) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

“The chairperson of the board is Senator Margret Chuba Okadigbo (Southeast), Mele Kolo Kyari, CEO, and Umar I. Ajiya, CFO.

“Other members of the board are; Dr Tajudeen Umar (Northeast), Ms Lami O. Ahmed (North Center), Mallam Mohammed Lawal (Northwest), Ing. Henry Obih (South East), Attorney Constance Harry Marshal (South-South) and Chief Pius Akinyelure (Southwest).

“The appointments are effective from the date of incorporation of NNPC Limited.

“Executive Commissioners of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission are also appointed. They are Dr Nuhu Habib (Kano), Executive Commissioner, Development and Production, Dr Kelechi Onyekachi Ofoegbu (Imo), Executive Commissioner, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning, Captain Tonlagha Roland John (Delta), Executive Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, and Jide Adeola (Kogi), Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services and Administration.

“Those named above are the Chairman of the Board, the Executive Director, the Executive Commissioner, Acreage Exploration and Management, and the Executive Commissioner, Finance and Accounts.

“The new appointees in Nigeria’s Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority 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, Bashir Sadiq (Sokoto), Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration, and Dr Zainab Gobir (Kwara), Executive Director, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning.

“They join the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, Downstream Systems, Retail and Storage Infrastructure, the CEO and the Chief Financial and Account Officer, who had been previously appointed.

“For the Midstream and Downstream Infrastructure Fund, the new members of the Board are; Mr Effiong Abia (Akwa Ibom), Bobboi Ahmed (Adamawa) and Engr. Abdullahi Bukar (Katsina).

“It will be recalled that President Buhari had written to the Senate last September about the amendments to the administrative structure of the Petroleum Industry Law, which included the appointment of non-executive members of the Board, the removal of the Ministries of Petroleum and Board finances of the two. new institutions and appointment of Executive Directors. ”