Why Tinubu Fires Kyari and NNPC Board Members

President Bola Tinubu’s decision to sack Mele Kyari and other board members of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) was due to concerns over performance and failure to meet key production targets. According to Presidency officials, the former management was “going in circles” and had become part of the problem rather than the solution [1].

Tinubu removed Kyari, who had been at the helm since 2019, and appointed Bashir Ojulari as the new Group CEO, effective April 2, 2025. The new 11-man board includes Musa Ahmadu-Kida as non-executive chairman and representatives from various geopolitical zones.

The shake-up is seen as a performance-based reshuffle, with the new team expected to bring fresh energy and expertise to drive growth in the oil and gas sector.

The President has set key performance metrics, including increasing crude oil production to 3 million barrels per day by 2030 and 2 million barrels per day by 2027.

Industry stakeholders have welcomed the changes, with the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) urging the new management to ensure refineries resume operations at full capacity to provide affordable fuel to Nigerians. The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) has also lauded the appointments, saying they align with NAPE’s goals for greater efficiency, transparency, and profitability in the industry.

An official familiar with the development said the President believed that new blood was essential to jump-start production growth.

The official explained, “It is not about (Kyari’s) age. The NNPCL is a limited liability company and is not governed by civil service rules. So, it’s not about his age. There is always a need to get new brains that can deliver in new directions. The President has his mandate, which is clearly stated in the statement. He gave them his performance metrics, such as the amount of crude we produce. He asked them to review all blocks because we want to know which ones are producing and which are not.

“We have to optimise those that are not producing. He wants them to review all our assets within a certain period and give us good production. By 2030, they must be producing 3,000,000 barrels per day, and between now and 2027, we must stabilise at 2,000,000 per day.  Then, gas, we must produce 10 billion cubic meters between now and 2030. These are performance metrics, and that is how it should be done.

“But the former system was not giving us that. They have been around the same spot for years. Our OPEC quota has not improved much since 1973. We have not been able to meet them. That is why reforms are important.”