Jobs/Appointments
AU Picks Okonjo-Iweala as Special Envoy
By Adedapo Adesanya
Days after her appointment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) external advisory board, Nigeria’s former finance minister, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been appointed as part of a four-member AU Special Envoy.
The appointment was announced by the Chairperson of the AU, President of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa. He said joining Mrs Okonjo-Iweala are Mr Donald Kaberuka, Mr Tidjane Thiam and Mr Trevor Manuel.
Their job will be to mobilise international support for Africa’s efforts to address the economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Special Envoys will be tasked with soliciting rapid and concrete support as pledged by the G20, the European Union and other international financial institutions.
According to Mr Ramaphosa, “In the light of the devastating socio-economic and political impact of the pandemic on African countries these institutions need to support African economies that are facing serious economic challenges with a comprehensive stimulus package for Africa, including deferred debt and interest payments.
“The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been global in both scale and reach, and this necessitates coordinated international action to capacitate all countries to respond effectively, but most particularly developing countries that continue to shoulder a historical burden of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment,”
The AU Chairperson further added: “The sentiment expressed in two recent letters written to the G20 by a group of world leaders and a team of esteemed economists underscore the importance of bolstering health systems in poorer countries; this can only be done with the support of the international community.”
Mr Ramaphosa said the appointment of the special envoys would expedite the process of securing economic support to enable countries on the continent to respond swiftly to this grave public health emergency.
“The African Union is immensely encouraged by the support that has been extended by the international community thus far”, he said.
“It is an affirmation that as nations of the world, we are all in this together.
“We must now focus on efforts to marshal every resource at our disposal to ensure that this pandemic is contained, and does not result in the collapse of already ailing economies and financial systems on the continent,” President Ramaphosa added.
Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is regarding as an internationally respected economist and development expert and served two terms as Minister of Finance of Nigeria. She has also served as Managing Director of the World Bank.
Mr Donald Kaberuka is an economist and former President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB). He is the former Finance Minister of Rwanda and in 2016 was appointed as a Special Envoy of the African Union on sustain-able financing for the AU and funding for Peace in Africa.
Mr Trevor Manuel was the longest-serving Minister of Finance in South Africa and formerly headed the country’s National Planning Commission. In 2018 he was appointed as an Investment Envoy by Ramaphosa to engage domestic and international investors as part of the country’s national investment drive.
Mr Tidjane Thiam, a French-Ivorian, is a banker and businessman. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse. He also served as Chief Financial Officer and CEO of Prudential. He has a background in management consulting and worked for McKinsey and Company.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chairman of Creditville Limited, Mr Michael Uwakwe, has been appointed to the board of Chams Holding Company Plc as a non-executive director.
His appointment, according to a statement from the organisation, was effective Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
The board expressed confidence in his dynamic leadership, saying it will foster collaboration, inspire teams, and deliver transformative results for stakeholders.
Mr Uwakwe, who retired from TotalEnergies after 30 years of active service, chairs Creditville Limited, a financial services company involved in consumer lending, equipment leasing, capital market operations and real estate.
He is a Human Resources professional by qualification, training and experience with a deep interest in analysing financial markets around the globe. He is also well-versed in all aspects of investment analysis, asset allocation, and risk management and is a PENCOM-approved member of the Investment Strategy Committee of the Total Closed Pension Fund.
Mr Uwakwe sits on the board of Redwood Asset Management Company Limited, a SEC-approved Fund & Portfolio Manager.
He is a Fellow of the National Institute of Credit Administration of Nigeria, a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (UK), a member of the British Psychological Society (London), and an Associate Member of the Nigeria Institute of Management.
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu as the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
Mr Aliyu, a professor, is to replace Mr Ahmed Galadima Aminu, who recently resigned to participate in the 2027 governorship election in Adamawa State.
In a statement by a spokesperson to the President, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday, it was disclosed that the appointment of Mr Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz as the chief executive of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has been renewed for a second and final term.
These appointments are said to take effect immediately.
Professor Aliyu, the new PTDF helmsman, is a distinguished academic and seasoned administrator with extensive experience in research, education, and institutional leadership. His appointment underscores the President’s commitment to strengthening key institutions in the petroleum sector and advancing capacity development for Nigeria’s energy industry.
“The President expects him to leverage his wealth of experience to reposition the PTDF for greater impact in human capital development, innovation, and strategic support for the oil and gas sector in line with national priorities.
“President Tinubu renewed Engineer Abdulaziz’s appointment following a comprehensive assessment of his performance and leadership of the nation’s transmission network.
“Under his stewardship, TCN has recorded notable improvements in grid stability, transmission capacity expansion, and system modernisation, reinforcing its critical role in Nigeria’s electricity value chain.
“Engr. Abdulaziz brings over three decades of experience in the power sector and has also strengthened regional electricity integration through his leadership in the West African Power Pool (WAPP).
“President Tinubu urges both appointees to discharge their responsibilities with diligence, integrity, and a strong sense of national service,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited saw its workforce rise by 12.2 per cent to 6,247 at the end of 2025 from 5,566 in the corresponding period of 2024, according to its latest employee data.
The state oil firm stated that its employees increased by 14.3 per cent from 5,495 recorded at the end of the first quarter of 2025 to 6,280 at the end of the second quarter of 2025.
Its staff strength, however, dropped by 0.11 per cent to 6,273 workers in the third quarter of 2025 and further shrank by 0.41 per cent to 6,247 in the last quarter of the year under review.
Giving a breakdown of its workforce in terms of gender, the NNPC disclosed that at the end of the fourth quarter, 5,044 employees, representing 80.7 per cent of its workforce, were males, while 1,203 employees, representing 19.3 per cent of its total workforce, were females.
Further breakdown revealed that Junior Staff 2 (JS 2) and Junior Staff 1 (JS1) cadres had one staff member and 175 staff members, respectively, at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, as against one staff and 187 staff members, respectively, recorded in the third quarter of 2025.
In addition, the Senior Staff Seven (SS7) cadre had 31 employees, remaining the same as in the previous quarter, while the SS6 cadre dropped to 1,010 staff, from 1,012 staff recorded at the end of the third quarter of 2025.
The SS5, SS4, SS3, SS2 and SS1 staff cadre recorded 1,076 staff, 164 staff, 389 staff, 471 staff and 1,829 staff, respectively, in the quarter under review, compared with 1,076 staff, 164 staff, 391 staff, 478 staff and 1,835 staff, respectively, recorded in the third quarter of 2025.
Management Six (M6) cadre had 695 staff in the second quarter of 2025, compared with 699 staff in the same category in the previous quarter, while M5, M4, M3, M2 and M1 cadres had 237 staff, 117 staff, 47 staff, seven staff and one staff respectively, compared with 243 staff, 116 staff, 44 staff, seven staff and one staff in the corresponding cadres in the third quarter of 2025.
Further analysis of the NNPC workforce across different cadres showed that JS2 and JS1 accounted for 0.02 per cent and 2.75 per cent of its total workforce, respectively, while SS7, SS6, SS5, SS4, SS3, SS2 and SS1 cadres accounted for 0.50 per cent, 16.17 per cent, 17.22 per cent, 2.63 per cent, 6.23 per cent, 7.54 per cent and 29.28 per cent of the state oil company’s total workforce, respectively.
In addition, NNPC’s M6, M5, M4, M3, M2 and M1 cadres accounted for 11.13 per cent, 3.79 per cent, 1.87 per cent, 0.75 per cent, 0.11 per cent and 0.02 per cent, respectively.
In general, the NNPC Limited noted that it had 173 employees in its junior staff category; 4,970 employees in its senior staff category, and 1,104 employees in its management category.
It also reported that in its middle management cadre, it has 932 employees, accounting for 14.92 per cent of its total workforce, while the top management cadre had 172 employees, accounting for 2.75 per cent of its total workforce.
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