Meet the new NNPC board members appointed by Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday named a new board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

Here are the profiles of some of members of the board.

Board Chairman – Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu

Until his appointment as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Kachikwu was the Executive Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Exxon Mobil (Africa).

A first class graduate of law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the Nigeria Law School, he also holds masters and doctorate degrees in law from the Harvard Law School.

He started his working career with the Nigerian/American Merchant Bank before moving on to Texaco Nigeria Limited from where he joined Exxon-Mobil.

GMD NNPC – Maikanti Baru

Before his appointment as the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru worked variously in both the Upstream and Downstream Sectors of oil and gas industry.

He attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained First Class (Honours) degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical engineering.

Until his appointment, he was the Group Executive Director, Exploration & Production of the corporation.

Other positions he held includes Group General Manager of Greenfield Refinery Projects, Managing Director of Hyson, Executive Director of Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), General Manager – Gas Division of NAPIMS, Manager – Operations, Procurement Management Services and Manager – Engineering for National Engineering and Technical Company Limited (NETCO).

He was also the NNPC’s Chief Technical Negotiator on the West African Gas Pipeline project from July 1999 to April 2004; Chairman of NNPC Anti – Corruption Committee since September 2004 till date; and has relentlessly sensitized staff on obligations and laws on corruption and corrupt practices.

Mr. Baru is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE) and a recipient of the Presidential Merit Award of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers. He is married with children.

Abba Kyari 

Abba Kyari, who is the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, was born in Borno State in 1938. He had his early education at Borno Middle School, before proceeding to Barewa College, Zaria. A lawyer, banker and sociologist, Mr. Kyari enlisted in the Nigerian Army as an Officer Cadet in 1959 and rose through ranks till he retired as Brigadier.

During his Army career, he held various positions, including Platoon Commander and then Transport Offices in the 1 Brigade Transport Company, Second-in-Command and then Commander in the Nigerian Army Artillery; commander of 1 Brigade, Kaduna and Commanding Officer 5th Battalion, Nigerian Army, Kano.

He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Warwick, England (1980); Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law from the University of Cambridge, England (1982), where he also obtained a Masters’ Degree in Law (1984) after being called to the Nigerian Bar in 1983.

Between 1988 and 1990, he edited the Democrat Newspapers published by New Africa Holdings Limited Kaduna. He served as Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in the Borno State Executive Council (1990), before being appointed Secretary to the Board of African International Bank Limited between 1990 and 1995.

In July 1967, he was appointed Governor of North-Central State carved from the Northern region by the Yakubu Gowon administration.

He led the Northern delegates to the 1994 National Constitutional Conference, and was appointed Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the conference.

After retiring from army, he was appointed to the boards of First Bank of Nigeria, Standard Alliance Insurance and Merchant Bank of Commerce. He became Chairman of Gamah Flour Mills and of Alif Engineering and Construction.

At various times he worked with the New Nigeria Development Company, New Africa Holdings, African International Bank, United Bank for Africa, Unilever, and Mobil in various capacities over the years.

Mr. Kyari was appointed the Chief of Staff to President Buhari on August 27, 2015.