President Muhammadu Buhari last week approved the reconstitution of the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
According to a statement by Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president, the reconstitution comes after the expiration of the term of the board members appointed in 2016.
Members of the new board are Mohammed Lawal (north-west), Tajudeen Umar (north-east), Adamu Mahmood Attah (north-central), Magnus Abe (south-south), Stephen Dike (south-east), and Pius Akinyelure (south west). The former national vice chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Akinyelure, south-west zone, returns as the representative of his zone. The new board will be in place for three years.
Adesina’s statement did not state who will serve as the board’s chairman.
Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, former minister of state for petroleum resources, served as the board chairman from 2016 was replaced by John Asuquo Thomas, who served as alternate chairman until Timipre Sylva was appointed as minister of state. However, Sylvia has not been officially announced as the board chairman.
It’s unclear if the board will be chaired by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Silva or anyone else among the newly appointed board.
Thomas was the first managing director of the Eleme (Indorama) Petrochemical Company where he led the team that negotiated the financing of the Eleme Project. He also served as NNPC GMD and voluntarily retired in 1992.