Bayo Ojulari has removed the managing directors in charge of three NNPC refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri, Peoples Gazette heard on Thursday. 

Officials said Mr Ojulari took the decision to halt “continued value erosion in Nigeria’s refining sector,” adding that the move would position the facilities for better efficiency and greater output. 

The removals, which officials said were effective immediately, came two days after the NNPC boss fired top executives of the state-run oil firm in a bid to restructure its unwieldy culture of waste and mismanagement, an official said. 

“The primary objective of the restructuring is to halt the ongoing loss of value in the short term and to develop a credible, long-term strategy that will restore and maximise value for the federation,” an official said.

Mr Ojulari has also inaugurated a high-level assessment team led by NNPC’s vice-president of downstream operations, Mumuni Dagazzau, The Gazette heard. The crew would implement a swift operational assessment tour of all NNPC refineries “to determine their current status and provide recommendations,” an official added.

A spokesman for the NNPC did not immediately return a request seeking comments about the firings on Thursday afternoon. The affected officials were unavailable for comment.