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The Director, Department of Petroleum
Resources (DPR), Billy Agha, has been redeployed with immediate effect
and is being replaced immediately by Andrew Obaje, a deputy director in
the regulatory agency.

Mr. Agha’s redeployment is part of a
major deployment exercise cutting across the DPR, the oil and gas
industry regulator, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) and some of its subsidiary companies undertaken by Diezani
Alison-Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, which she
announced at the State House Abuja on Monday.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke said the changes
and personnel movements are with a view to “greater efficiency in line
with the aspiration of the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, for the
oil and gas industry in Nigeria.”

Mostly affected in the redeployments
are high ranking personnel in the two organisations, particularly in
the NNPC where some group executive directors (GEDs) and subsidiary
managing directors and group general managers were given new portfolios.

Under the new arrangement, Mr. Agha
moves from the DPR to the NNPC as GED, Engineering & Technical
Services, while Aminu Baba-Kusa, former GED, Commercial and Investment,
becomes the new GED, Special Services.

Also, Attahiru Yusuf, former GED
Corporate Services, moves to GED Commercial and Investment, while
Faithful Abbiyesuku, former GED Engineering and Technology emerges the
new GED Corporate Services. In other categories, Sam Okeke former Group
General Manager, New Business Division of the NNPC swaps positions with
Reginald Stanley the former Managing Director of the Pipelines and
Product Marketing Company (PPMC).

Also, Abiye Membere former Executive
Director Operations, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC),
becomes the Managing Director of the company, while Olakunle
Olaosebikan, the erstwhile chief executive of the company moves to the
NNPC New Frontiers on Exploration Services (NFES) under the GED
Exploration, as its new managing director.

Similarly, Morrison Fiddi, former
General Manager, Production Sharing Contracts of the National Petroleum
Investment Management Services, (NAPIMS), the investment arm of the
NNPC is now the new group general manager of the company, while Ayo
Balogun, who earlier occupied that now heads the newly created
International Trading Company (ITCO), as Managing Director. The ITCO
will merge all the activities of HYSON, NAPOIL, and Duke Oil.

Christopher Osarumnwese was appointed
the new group general manager, Human Resources while Godwin Jedy-Agba,
former General Manager, Commercial, Crude Oil Marketing Division, and
COMD. Anthony Ogbuigwe was made the new Managing Director of the Port
Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC). Also Mr. Vodka Mukoro was confirmed
as GED in charge of Gas and Power.

The minister also announced the confirmation of all the GEDs who have been functioning in acting capacity.

Industry operators describe the changes as “very bold”, and
expressed the hope that “the changes will have the desired impact given
the short tenure of this administration.”