Mele Kyari , the man who runs Nigeria’s national oil company, is one of the most powerful men in the country. But who does he talk to, and who has his ear?
The NNPC ranks number two in our list of Africa's Top 500 Companies and will play a vital role in financing Nigeria’s economic recovery. Kyari, appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2019, is a veteran in the oil industry, having worked at the NNPC for the last 31 years. During this time he has also developed a circle of influence in the sector.
After the emergence of Bola Tinubu as president of Nigeria in the last election, many expected the new head of state to appoint his ‘own man’ and relieve Kyari of his appointment just as he did to the former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and erstwhile tax boss, Muhammed Nami.
The president had already found a replacement for Kyari but somehow, he survived the axe. This expectation was not out of place because since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, no one has served as NNPC chief executive officer for more than three years, with some even serving as briefly as a year in office. It has also become a tradition for incoming presidents to sack NNPC bosses and appoint their own men. But Kyari proved himself to be a skilled politician and was able to ally with key members of Tinubu’s government. Contrary to speculations, the president reaffirmed Kyari’s appointment last December while all members of the NNPC board were sacked. Insiders point to the $3.3bn loan Kyari secured from the Afreximbank in order to stabilise Nigeria’s depreciating currency as playing a key role in helping him retain his job.
“The president had already found a replacement for Kyari but somehow, he survived the axe. The Afreximbank deal was Kyari’s brainchild even though monetary policy is not his job as NNPC CEO. Besides, his generosity and ability to ‘fix problems’ also earned him friends in the new administration,” said a presidency official. With Kyari’s position now fully secure and his sights set on increasing the country’s oil production, we take a look at some key figures in his circle.
Jubril Adewale Tinubu
Tinubu, commonly referred to simply as Wale Tinubu, is not only the chief executive officer of Oando Plc but is also Tinubu’s nephew. Wale shares a close bond with the president and played a critical role in mobilising support for the president among the organised private sector during the last election. An aide to the president tells our correspondent that even before Tinubu won the election, Kyari and Wale were close and had worked on a couple of deals together, including the NNPC’s acquisition of OVH Energy Marketing Limited – the company behind the Oando retail brand in West Africa. This increased the number of NNPC retail outlets by 380. Even before Tinubu was inaugurated, Wale brokered a meeting between Tinubu and Kyari. However, immediately after Tinubu won the election, Kyari grew closer to Wale who helped in lobbying the president to retain him as the NNPC boss. “Even before Tinubu was inaugurated, Wale brokered a meeting between Tinubu and Kyari. The president liked him instantly because he seemed to have many bright ideas about the sector and he was professional,” said one of Tinubu’s aides who asked not to be named. Oando, which recently got NNPC’s approval to acquire Eni’s onshore assets in Nigeria, is expected to continue to benefit from a strong relationship with the national oil firm.
Pius Akinyelure
Akinyelure is currently the chairman of the NNPC board. In the 1980s and early 90s, he was a top executive at Mobil Nigeria. It was while he was in Mobil that he interviewed a young accountant who would eventually become treasurer at the company. The accountant was known as Tinubu who is currently Nigeria’s president. Top sources say Akinyelure was initially indifferent about Kyari but they have now become friends, and he now acts as political cover for the NNPC boss. “Kyari is taking good care of Chief Akinyelure. You can be sure that if there’s any attempt to remove him, Chief Akinyelure would be there to use his relationship with the president to protect him,” an insider says.
Femi Gbajabiamila
Gbajabiamila is the president’s chief of staff and the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives. But insiders say he is also Kyari’s ‘protector’ and played a vital role in getting the president to retain him as NNPC boss. An associate of Gbajabiamila said the president’s chief of staff and Kyari became close during the drafting of the Petroleum Industry Act back in 2021 when Gbajabiamila was still Speaker. Gbajabiamila is the gatekeeper, so both men have become even closer. “During the drafting of the Act, both men interacted on several occasions and became close. So, when Tinubu became president, Kyari exploited his relationship with Gbajabiamila to also get retained,” a top source says, adding that it is almost impossible for a president’s chief of staff and an NNPC chief executive officer not to have a cordial relationship.
“Tinubu currently doubles as oil minister, so Kyari reports directly to him. But Gbajabiamila is the gatekeeper, so both men have become even closer,” he says.
Adebanjo Olumuyiwa Omisore
Omisore is director at Bono Energy Limited and multiple sources say he is one of the closest to Kyari. The oil businessman is known for keeping a low profile and often avoids media interviews and social events, preferring to operate in the background… so much so that it is almost impossible to find a picture of him online. The 48-year-old has risen quickly in the oil industry thanks in part to his relationship with Kyari. Omisore’s firm, Bono Energy, has also received lucrative contracts from NNPC since Kyari took charge of crude oil sales back in 2016. Insiders call him ‘Mr Fix it’ as he is known to have helped Kyari in times of crisis on several occasions.
Auwalu Abdullahi Rano
Commonly referred to as the ‘silent billionaire’, Rano is the founder of A.A Rano, a downstream oil firm with gas stations in various parts of the country especially in northern Nigeria. Rano is known to be very close to Kyari and has benefited immensely from the NNPC. His company was a major beneficiary of the direct sale/direct purchase arrangement put in place by Kyari which involved the sale of crude in exchange for petrol. Last year, Businessday reported uproar among industry players when it was revealed that A.A Rano was among the four firms awarded the contract for the maintenance of pipelines, through the build, operate, and transfer financing model. The firm was allotted Escravos Warri Crude Oil Pipeline (60km), Warri-Benin Products Pipeline (90km), Benin-Ore Products Pipeline (110km), Warri Depot, Benin Depot and Ore Depot. The complaint from competitors was that A.A Rano is not a midstream firm but is dedicated mainly to downstream and was thus not competent to carry out such a project.
Tope Shonubi
Shonubi is co-founder and executive director of Sahara Group, a leading energy conglomerate. Along with Tonye Cole and Ade Odunsi, Shonubi has taken Sahara Group to new heights in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. His close relationship with Kyari is not a secret. Sahara Group has been awarded numerous contracts to lift crude on behalf of the NNPC and is one of the few firms with direct access to the national oil boss.
Amina Maina
Maina is the chief operating officer of MRS Holdings and oversees all trading, supply, and operations of the group’s activities spanning over six countries, including Nigeria. Maina is also a board member of Nigeria’s foremost economic think tank, the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG). Under her watch as chief operating officer, the company has benefited immensely from its relationship with the NNPC. It was among the firms that emerged as preferred bidders for the maintenance of the pipelines, over the complaints of competitors who argued that it was not competent to do so.
MRS Oil Nigeria Plc won LOT 4, which comprises Atlas Cove–Mosimi/Satellite Products Pipeline (72.8km), Mosimi–Ore Products Pipeline (151.3km), Mosimi–Ibadan Products Pipeline (79.1km), Ibadan-Ilorin Products Pipeline (168.9km), Atlas Cove Depot, Mosimi Depot, Satellite Depot, Ibadan Depot, and llorin Depot. MRS was also among those chosen for the DSDP, a scheme wherein companies, including international trading houses and indigenous companies, are allocated crude supplies in exchange for the delivery of an equal value of petrol and other refined products to the NNPC.
Nzan Ogbe
Ogbe is the CEO of Levene Energy Holdings and sources say he is also close to Kyari. Ogbe joined the oil and gas sector some 20 years ago and has admitted being assisted by oil magnate Femi Otedola, who is currently chairman of First Bank. Levene Energy has been receiving contracts to lift crude oil since 2016 around the time when Kyari was the group general manager of the Crude Oil Marketing Division at the NNPC. At the time, Kyari was in charge of direct sale direct purchase contracts, an agreement that allows sales of crude oil to refiners, who will in turn supply the corporation with an equivalent worth of petroleum products. Apart from oil and gas, Ogbe is also known for his philanthropy as he runs the Zeebah Foundation, which caters to children with autism.
Abdulkabir Adisa Aliu
Kyari acts as mentor for Aliu, the CEO of Matrix Energy, an oil marketing and trading firm that was established in 2005 but witnessed a meteoric rise in the last eight years. He was also said to have enjoyed a special relationship with Abba Kyari, the powerful chief of staff to former President Muhammadu Buhari who died of Covid-19 in 2020. Aliu is said to have lobbied the government to appoint Kyari as the NNPC boss back in 2019 and was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the direct sale, direct purchase programme. The several contracts he has received from the NNPC to lift crude earned him the title, ‘the super trader’ in the industry. The oil magnate is said to own a mansion in Banana Island, where Nigeria’s wealthiest citizens live.
James Ume
Ume is the publisher of the Whistler media platform and also a philanthropist. He is a crisis manager for the NNPC boss and has, through his media platform, given Kyari several awards to boost his image. The media guru is one of the privileged few with direct access to Kyari. He has on several occasions deflected negative media reporting on Kyari, earning him Kyari’s trust. Kyari has taken him as a protégé, insiders say.
Olalekan Ogunleye
Ogunleye is the executive vice-president of gas, power and new energies at the NNPC. Previously, he served as deputy managing director of Nigeria LNG Limited and managing director of Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria Limited (GACN), established by the Federal Government of Nigeria to facilitate adequate gas supply to the domestic market. Ogunleye had also served as CEO N-Gas Limited, a joint venture company between NNPC, Chevron, and Shell, with the responsibility for the sale and marketing of gas in Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana. In charge of gas operations, he is tasked with boosting Nigeria’s gas supply.
Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan
Eyesan is the executive vice-president, Upstream, at the NNPC and is in charge of ramping up Nigeria’s oil production. She is the most senior female official in Nigeria’s national oil firm. She is reported to enjoy a close relationship with Kyari, who has been her colleague at the NNPC for the last 30 years. She has held many positions in the national oil firm but has had three top level promotions since Kyari took over as CEO in 2019.
Lawal Sade
Sade is the managing director of NNPC Trading Limited, a subsidiary of the NNPC, which specialises in the trading of crude oil, gas and refined products. With a presence in three international trading centres, NNPC Trading transacts more than 15 million barrels of crude per month. Due to the strategic importance of NNPC Trading Limited, its chief executive officer is usually someone who has a close relationship with the Group CEO. It was therefore not a surprise when barely months after his appointment, Kyari picked Lawal Sade as chief executive officer of NNPC Trading Limited. Sade joined the NNPC from Oando in 2010 and held various management positions in the company. He and Kyari are said to enjoy a cordial relationship having worked as colleagues in NNPC for 14 years. Insiders say Sade has Kyari’s ear and hence is one of the most sought-after officials in the industry.