Mr. Roland Ewubare, Chief Operating Officer, Ventures and Business Development at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has resigned from his position, making his exit one of the most notable recent departures from the national oil company.
Sources within the NNPC confirmed that Ewubare, one of the few top-ranking officials from the South-South region, tendered his resignation on Thursday—shortly after the launch of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project.
However, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, has reportedly not yet briefed President Muhammadu Buhari about Ewubare’s resignation, citing uncertainty over whether the president would approve the move, particularly as Ewubare’s tenure was due to end this year.
The source further disclosed that Ewubare was initially marked for disengagement in 2019 alongside other senior officials following the retirement of former GMD, late Dr. Maikanti Baru. However, his close relationship with Kyari was believed to have shielded him from the restructuring at the time.
It is believed that Ewubare’s resignation may have been pre-agreed as part of a 2019 understanding that he would step down honorably at the end of his five-year term. However, in public comments, Ewubare cited personal reasons, saying he stepped down to reunite with his family in the United States.
Ewubare was appointed COO, Ventures and Business Development, in March 2020. Prior to that, he served as COO, Upstream (June 2019 – March 2020), and earlier as General Manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), the investment arm of NNPC, from August 2017 to July 2019.
