Bayo Ojulari

Bashir Bayo Ojulari is a Nigerian engineer and expert in petroleum, process and production engineering currently serving as Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd). In January 2024, Ojulari joined Renaissance African Energy Company as executive vice-president and chief operating officer and led a consortium of local energy companies in a $2.4 billion Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) acquisition deal. President Bola Tinubu appointed him as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Ltd on 2 April 2025.

Education Ojulari graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1989.

Career Ojulari is a Fellow of Nigerian Society of Engineers. His career in energy is focused on exploration, field development, production management, strategic planning and investment evaluation. He began his career in 1989 as a field and process engineer at Elf Petroleum Nigeria before moving to Shell in 1991 as an associate production technologist. At Shell, Ojulari worked in Europe and the Middle East in different managerial capacities in Petroleum Engineering, Process Engineering, Production Engineering and in health and safety roles. From June 1994 to October 1995, Ojulari served on the Shell integrated studies team at its headquarters in the Netherland. In late 1990, Ojulari served in different leadership positions in Nigeria engineering professional organisations including as chairman and member of board of trustees of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigeria Council) from 1998 to 1999.

In 1997, he became the head of planning, economics and budgeting of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and served in this position until 1999 when he was transferred to Oman SPDC where he was head, production technologists and asset leader. In 2003, Ojulari returned to Shell headquarters as a regional planner for sub-Saharan Africa and later served in different capacities at SPDC including as manager corporate planning and strategy, and asset development (onshore and shallow water).

In 2010, Ojulari was appointed as a director at SPDC leading petroleum engineering of 100 oil and gas fields and 15 major projects with well budget of $700 million. During his term he developed Nigeria’s first deepwater project - Bonga field and increased production to 320,000 barrels per day with cost-saving plan that reduced operational expenses by 30 per cent. He retired from his positions in Shell in July 2021.

In 2021, he founded BAT Advisory & Energy, a company specialising in upstream and midstream advisory serving as the chairman of its board. In January 2024, Ojulari joined Renaissance African Energy Company as executive vice-president and chief operating officer. In this position, he led a consortium of indigenous energy firms – ND Western, Aradel Energy, First Exploration & Production, Waltersmith, and Petrolin in a $2.4 billion Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria acquisition deal.

On 2 April 2025, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu appointed Ojulari as group chief executive officer of Nigeria state oil company, NNPC Limited.