The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has witnessed change of its Group Managing Directors (GMD’s) six times since 1999 to date.
Andrew Yakubu, who becomes the corporation’s sixth GMD since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, takes over from Engr. Austen Olusegun Oniwon who was appointed in May 2010.
Oniwon on his part took over from the late Shehu Ladan who was appointed to the coveted position in April, 2010.
Ladan holds the record of the shortest serving NNPC helmsman in the corporation’s history and was removed just a month after his appointment, under controversial circumstances.
Ladan also took over from Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo who was also appointed as the NNPC GMD in January 2009 when he took over from Engr. Funsho Kupolokun.
Kupolokun on his part was appointed to the position in 2003, taking over from Dr. Jackson Gaius Obaseki who was the first NNPC GMD to be appointed after President Olusegun Obasanjo became the President in 2009.
However, while the GMDs’ appointment within the first 10 years into the country’s democratic setting had held on to the position with ample time to execute their individual plans and strategy to move the corporation to desired levels in line with the federal government’s aspirations, the trend has since changed.