Nigeria: Ex-Shell Chief Bayo Ojulari Now Heads Oil Board

Bayo Ojulari joined Shell in November 1991. He started as an Associate Production Technologist at Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu dismissed the NNPC board. This included Group Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari and board chairperson Pius Akinyelure. The president appointed Bayo Bashir Ojulari as the new GCEO of NNPC.

Mr. Ojulari is an energy expert. He describes himself as a business leader with a strong track record in the global energy sector. His LinkedIn profile states he worked at Shell for over 24 years.

He became Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) in November 2015. He held this position until July 2021. Before joining Shell, he worked at Elf Petroleum Nigeria as a Fields and Process Engineer.

Mr. Ojulari graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering between 1985 and 1989. After joining Shell, he became part of the Integrated Studies Team at Shell headquarters in the Netherlands from June 1994 to October 1995.

From April 1997 to November 1999, he was Head of Planning Economics and Budgeting at SPDC Nigeria. He then served as Asset Leader and Head Production Technologist at Shell in Oman from December 1999 to September 2003.

In October 2003, he became Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Planner at Shell headquarters until December 2004. From January 2005 to October 2008, he was Manager of Corporate Planning and Strategy at SPDC Nigeria.

During this time, he briefly held the position of Asset Production Technologist from November 2006 to March 2007. After that, he remained in Nigeria as Manager of Asset Development (Onshore and Shallow Water) SPDC Nigeria from October 2008 to October 2010.

From January 2010 to October 2015, Mr. Ojulari was Development Director at SPDC Nigeria. He then became Managing Director of SNEPCo until July 2021 when he left the company.

In September 2021, he established BAT Advisory and Energy Company Nigeria Ltd and served as its board chairman. The company provided consultancy services for firms in the oil and gas sector.

In January 2024, Mr. Ojulari was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. He announced his appointment on LinkedIn about a week ago before his new role at NNPC.