President Bola Tinubu has sacked the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari.

Tinubu also dissolved its board, removing the Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on information and strategy, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.

Onanuga said Tinubu invoked his powers under section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 to carry out the sweeping reconstitution, citing the need for “enhanced operational efficiency, restored investor confidence, and a more commercially viable NNPC”.

He announced that Tinubu has now approved a new 11-man board, which has Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman.

According to the statement, “Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board by President Tinubu.

“Six board members, non-executive directors, represent the country’s geopolitical zones. They are Bello Rabiu, North West, Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North Central.

“President Tinubu appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East.

“Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources”.

He added said that all the appointments are effective today, April 2.

The four businessmen are the only Nigerians to feature on the prestigious lineup, with Dangote leading the continent’s wealthiest individuals.

Dangote, the owner of Dangote Refinery, has seen a significant increase in his net worth, rising from $13.9 billion in 2024 to $23.9 billion, securing his position as Africa’s richest person for the 14th consecutive year. “Aliko Dangote of Nigeria tops the list for the 14th year in a row with an estimated net worth of $23.9 billion, up from $13.9 billion a year ago,” Forbes stated. “The big jump in his fortune is primarily due to Forbes adding the value of his refinery, which opened last year on the outskirts of Lagos after long delays.”

Adenuga, chairman of Globacom, was ranked as the fifth richest African with a net worth of $6.8 billion, while Rabiu of BUA Group followed in sixth place with an estimated $5.1 billion. Otedola, chairman of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Holdings Plc, was listed in joint 16th place with a net worth of $1.5 billion.

Forbes highlighted Otedola’s growing fortune, stating, “Another billionaire whose fortune grew more than 30%: Femi Otedola of Nigeria (No. 18, $1.5 billion), chairman of listed power generation firm Geregu Power Plc. Shares of Geregu surged some 40% in the past year following a jump in revenue and profits. Two African billionaires who made the list in the past and then fell off are back on again.”

The report further revealed that South Africa led the continent with the highest number of billionaires, boasting seven individuals on the list, followed by Nigeria and Egypt with four each. Morocco had three billionaires, while Algeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe each had one.

Forbes described 2025 as a historic year for Africa’s wealthiest individuals, with the cumulative wealth of the continent’s billionaires surpassing $100 billion for the first time. “Africa’s 22 billionaires saw their fortunes rise to a total of $105 billion, up from $82.4 billion and 20 billionaires last year. It’s no small feat to generate this”…

New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI): US tariff uncertainties are likely to push gold prices to Rs 87,000- Rs 90,000 in the first half of the calendar year 2025 (January- June), according to a report by ICICI Bank Global Markets.

Currently, the gold prices are at around Rs 83,410 per 10 grams for 22-carat and Rs 90,990 per 10 grams for 24-carat, publicly available data showed.

The report added that the uncertainties arising due to the tariffs will ensure the investment-related demand for gold is in place.

Beginning on April 2, the Trump administration intends to implement reciprocal tariffs on trading partners as part of the “Fair and Reciprocal Plan”.

In India, the local gold prices rose by 4 per cent in the past month, reflecting the global market trend and an appreciation of 2 per cent in rupee terms against the US dollar.

“Going forward, local gold prices are expected to trade with an upside bias in the INR 87,000 per ten grams to Rs 90,000 per ten grams range in 1H2025 and moving to the Rs 94,000 per ten grams to the Rs 96,000 per ten grams range in 2H2025,” the report added.

The report anticipated that the gold prices in the global markets will be in the range of USD 3200 per ounce to USD 3400 per ounce level by December 2025.

Additionally, the US Federal Reserve‘s potential decision to lower interest rates in 2025 and 2026 could make gold more attractive, as lower US yields may support gold demand, the report added.

Central banks may also continue to diversify their reserves by holding more gold, which could keep prices steady for the long term, as per the report.

“Elevated levels of gold prices appear to be weighing on jewellery demand, which worked to pull gold imports to their lowest level in the past 11 months, at USD 2.3bn, reflecting a 14 per cent MoM decline and a 63 per cent YoY decline. Demand should pick up, responding to the festive related seasonal demand that tends to take place,” the report added.

However, gold fund flows into local ETFs still remain fairly robust, as the World Gold Council (WGC) has reported. Gold ETFs recorded inflows to the tune of Rs 19.8bn in February 2025 that were above the average net inflow of Rs 14.8bn recorded in the preceding nine months.