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We’ll Ensure You Become WTO DG—Buhari Assures Okonjo-Iweala

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Okonjo-Iweala Buhari

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been assured of the country’s full support in her quest to becoming the next Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

This assurance was given by President Muhammadu Buhari when the former Managing Director of the World Bank paid him a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa on Monday.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala made it to the final two for the job along with South Korea’s Minister for Trade, Mrs Yoo Myung-hee and the candidacy of the former received huge support of the European Union.

Today, the Nigerian visited President Buhari and she was assured that the country will explore every opportunity and deploy its entire energy to ensure that she becomes the head of the trade body because of her profile and diligence in serving the country, and the world.

“I assure you that we will do all that we can to ensure that you emerge as the Director-General of WTO, not only because you are a Nigerian, but because you are a hardworking Nigerian. You deserve this,” Mr Buhari said.

The President assured Dr Okonjo-Iweala that he will make more phone calls, and send letters to some world leaders for more support.

“I did the same for Dr Akinwunmi Adesina for President of the African Development Bank (AfDB). Both of you served the country under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“You are both highly qualified. We will continue to support you. I will immediately make those calls,” the President told Dr Okonjo-Iweala.

In her remarks, Dr Okonjo-Iweala, a renowned development economist, thanked the President and his ministers, particularly the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment for supporting her staunchly.

“I feel very proud of Nigeria. I am getting so much support from you, Mr President, Chief of Staff, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investments. The ministers have been working around the clock to ensure that I succeed,” she said.

The former Minister of Finance also appreciated ECOWAS leaders for their endorsement, mentioning, in particular, the outstanding contributions of President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic and immediate past Chairman of ECOWAS as well as President Alhassan Quattara of Cote d’Ivoire.

She asked the President to “make one final push within the week to beat the Koreans and bring this to Nigeria by sending a few letters and placing telephone calls to some world leaders, and also thank others for their support.”

“Mr President put a smile on my face,” she said, “I am very proud of the country,” he added.

Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN's Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.

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Michael Uwakwe of Creditville Joins Chams Board as Non-Executive Director

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Michael Uwakwe creditville

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.

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Tinubu Appoints Aliyu as New PTDF Scribe, Renews Abdulaziz as TCN MD

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Tinubu's Portrait

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.

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NNPC Grows Workforce by 12% to 6,247 in Q4 2025

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NNPC Crude Cargoes pricing

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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