Jobs/Appointments
NNPC Trims Workforce by 0.3% to 5,692
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has announced that its workforce went down by 0.3 per cent in the first three months of 2024 to 5,692 from 5,710 in the last quarter of 2023.
The state-owned oil firm, in a report on its staff strength for the first quarter of 2024, stated that 4,632 staff were males, while 1,060 staff were females, representing 81.4 per cent and 18.6 per cent for males and females, respectively.
This was even as analysts projected that skills development and training programs would continue to enhance local content in the second quarter of 2024.
The analysts further warned that activities in the petroleum industry would likely be curtailed by labour disputes and strikes, adding that emphasis on local content development and utilisation remain priorities in the industry.
Meanwhile, at the end of 2023, the NNPC stated that of its 5,710 staffers, 4,648 workers were male, while 1,062 staff were female.
The NNPC noted that in the first quarter of 2024, its top management comprised 115 males and 41 females; at the middle management level, 722 staff were male, while 214 members of staff were female.
Furthermore, in its senior staff cadre, 3,559 employees were males, while 792 employees were females; while in the junior category, males comprised 206 staff, while females comprised 13 staffers.
Further breakdown of its staff composition in the fourth quarter of 2024, the NNPC reported that junior staff category two (JS2) had only one male; Junior staff category one (JS1) had 205 males and 13 females; senior staff seven and six (SS7 and SS6) had 27 males and two females, 72 males and six females, respectively.
Continuing, it noted that 1,091 individuals make up its senior staff five (SS5) category, comprising 907 males and 184 females; SS4 had 202 staff, comprising 28 females and 174 males; SS3 had 586 males and 94 females, bringing total staff in this category to 680.
Senior staff two category (SS2) and senior staff category one (SS1) had 434 and 1,867 staff respectively, with 75 and 403 females, respectively, and 359 and 1,464 males, respectively.
In management cadres 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2 (M6, M5, M4 and M3), total staff strength are 685 employees, 251 employees, 118 employees and 32 employees, respectively, with males making up 538 staff, 184 staff, 85 staff and 25 staff, respectively, while females comprise 147 staff, 67 staff, 33 staff and seven staff.
NNPC’s management cadre level 2 (M2) had five staff, consisting of four men and one woman; while management cadre one (M1) had only one male in its employ.
The NNPC had in its previous employee report noted that 81.4 per cent of its total staff in the first quarter of 2023 (4,911 employees) were male, while female workers make up 18.6 per cent (1,121 employees).
In addition, the national oil firm noted that in the second quarter of 2023, its staff strength dropped by 3.27 per cent to 5,835 employees, compared to the first quarter’s staff strength.
The NNPC added that the second-quarter employee figure stood at 4,747 and 1,088 for male and female, respectively.
In the third quarter of 2023, the NNPC reported that its staff strength returned to 6,032, the same point it was at the end of the first quarter of the same year; while it dropped by 5.34 per cent to 5,710 staffers at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, comprising 4,648 male workers and 1,062 female workers.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The conclusion of the 2025 Performance Appraisal Exercise of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has resulted in the promotion and step increments of about 1,126 employees of the organisation.
The reward for performance involved the promotion of 547 employees and 579 step increments, reaffirming the company’s unwavering commitment to recognising excellence, rewarding performance and building one of Africa’s most admired workplaces.
AEDC disclosed that these actions reflect its deliberate investment in its people as the energy firm accelerates its transformation into a customer-centric, high-performing electricity distribution company with global standards and Pan-African aspirations.
The promotions and step increments, approved by the management, recognise employees who have demonstrated exceptional commitment, professionalism and outstanding performance in advancing AEDC’s strategic objectives.
However, employees who were not successful in the current appraisal cycle have been urged to remain committed, emphasising that the performance management process is designed to support continuous growth, capability development and future advancement opportunities.
“Our people remain our greatest asset and the foundation upon which AEDC’s future will be built. Today’s announcement is more than a reward for performance; it is a reaffirmation of our belief that excellence should always be recognised, talent should be nurtured and hard work should create opportunities for growth.
“As we continue our transformation journey, we are building an organisation where our employees can develop rewarding careers, realise their full potential and proudly contribute to creating one of Africa’s leading electricity distribution companies,” the chief executive of AEDC, Mr Chijioke Okwuokenye, stated.
He added that AEDC is intentionally creating a workplace where merit, continuous learning, innovation and collaboration drive career progression, while employee wellbeing remains central to its long-term strategy.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerian international lawyer and anti-corruption specialist, Mr Ibrahim James Pam, has been appointed Acting Director-General of the World Bank Group’s Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), a key independent accountability body within the institution.
The appointment, approved by the boards of the World Bank Group, will take effect on August 2, 2026.
Mr Pam, who currently serves as Chair of the World Bank Inspection Panel, will oversee the CAO on an interim basis pending the appointment of a substantive Director-General and Vice President of the World Bank Group Independent Accountability Mechanism.
The development was announced in a statement issued by the Head of Communications of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, Emily Horgan, who said the arrangement was designed to ensure continuity during the organisation’s leadership transition.
“In view of the forthcoming leadership transition at the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the World Bank Group Boards have designated Ibrahim Pam, Chair of the Inspection Panel, to concurrently serve as acting CAO Director General, effective August 2, 2026,” the statement said.
“Mr Pam will serve in this role until the new World Bank Group Independent Accountability Mechanism Director General/Vice President is appointed.”
The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman is the independent accountability mechanism for projects financed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), both members of the World Bank Group.
Created in 1999, the CAO reports directly to the boards of IFC and MIGA and handles complaints from individuals and communities affected by projects supported by the two institutions, while promoting environmental and social accountability.
Mr Pam, who is married with children and grandchildren, brings extensive experience in international law, anti-corruption, compliance, human rights and criminal investigations to the role.
He is the son of the late Lt. Col. James Pam, a former Adjutant General of the Nigerian Army, and Mrs Ngo Elizabeth Pam, a human rights advocate who served on the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission, popularly known as the Oputa Panel, as well as the Plateau Peace Conference.
Over the years, Mr Pam has built a distinguished international career investigating human rights violations, financial crimes, fraud, institutional misconduct and mass atrocities across several jurisdictions.
He has served as a member of the World Bank Inspection Panel since January 2023. Prior to that, he was Head ad interim of the Independent Redress Mechanism of the Green Climate Fund in Songdo, South Korea, between August 2022 and March 2023, after leading the Fund’s Independent Integrity Unit from November 2016 to November 2022.
His professional experience also includes roles with the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), where he served as Resident Investigator with the UN Mission in South Sudan, the African Development Bank’s Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department, and the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Earlier in his career, he provided legal support to Nigeria’s Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (Oputa Panel) between 2000 and 2002.
A graduate of the University of Jos, Mr Pam began his legal career at J.Y. Pam & Co. before working in private legal practice, the banking sector and later the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
While at the ICPC, he received the prestigious Chevening Scholarship, which enabled him to earn a Master’s degree in International Law and Justice Policy from the London School of Economics in 2005
His appointment is expected to strengthen the World Bank Group’s accountability and oversight framework, given his extensive background in governance, integrity, compliance and international justice.
Jobs/Appointments
UNIZIK Appoints Nicholas Okoye Visiting Senior Lecturer, to Strengthen Digital Assets Education
Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) has appointed veteran investment banker and capital markets expert, Nicholas “Nicky” Okoye, as a Visiting Senior Lecturer in a move aimed at strengthening its capital markets and digital assets curriculum amid the growing global adoption of virtual assets and blockchain-based finance.
The appointment, which takes immediate effect, is expected to deepen the university’s capacity to train enterprise executives, entrepreneurs and policymakers in emerging areas such as cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), tokenisation of real-world assets and other digital financial innovations.
UNIZIK, which hosts one of Africa’s few dedicated Capital Markets faculties, said the appointment aligns with its strategy of equipping students and professionals with the knowledge and practical skills required to navigate the rapidly evolving financial ecosystem.
The university, in its statement, described the appointment as a significant milestone for the institution.
“Securing someone of Nicky Okoye’s calibre is a game-changer. As global finance evolves, we must equip enterprise executives, entrepreneurs and policymakers with the technical knowledge required to build long-term capital formation strategies. His real-world experience is invaluable.”
Okoye brings decades of experience across global and Nigerian financial institutions. His career includes serving as a Financial Consultant at Merrill Lynch in the United States, Chief Strategy Officer at the Nigerian Exchange Group, and Founding Group Executive Director of Operations and Strategy at Transcorp Group Plc, where he led fundraising initiatives that collectively exceeded $1 billion.
He currently leads the Global Investment Advisory Community (GIAC), a coalition of local and international banks, asset managers and fintech firms working to develop a digital assets ecosystem across Africa and the Caribbean.
Beyond the private sector, Okoye has contributed to public policy, providing advisory support to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on capital market regulatory frameworks.
Stakeholders in the financial services sector have welcomed the appointment, expressing optimism that his academic engagement would help build capacity among investors and professionals as Nigeria expands its digital finance ecosystem.
Okoye also holds an honorary Doctor of Business Administration from Enugu State University of Technology, awarded in recognition of his contributions to enterprise development and business excellence.
He previously served on the Presidential Jobs Board and the National Council of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, where he provided strategic advice on economic development. Between 2014 and 2018, he advised the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Project Triple E, an initiative designed to strengthen indigenous participation in the upstream oil and gas value chain by integrating community-based contractors.
The appointment comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to establish a robust regulatory framework for digital assets. The Federal Government recently inaugurated a National Virtual Assets Council to coordinate the oversight and regulation of virtual and digital assets in the country.
The council is chaired by the Central Bank of Nigeria, with support from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Nigeria Revenue Service, as part of broader efforts to promote innovation while ensuring investor protection and financial system stability.
