THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has announced the appointment of two executives, Andy Odeh and Morenike Adewunmi, to key communications positions.
Odeh assumes the role of Chief Corporate Communications Officer, while Adewunmi has been appointed Chief Relations Officer.
According to a statement obtained by The ICIR on Tuesday, September 2, Odeh brings over three decades of extensive experience in communications and business administration across the oil and gas, advertising, and broadcasting sectors.
Prior to joining the NNPCL, he had a distinguished 26-year career at the Nigeria LNG (NLNG), where he held various leadership roles in Community Relations and Development; Business Logistics and Services; Information Management and Technology; Corporate Communications and Public Affairs; Government Relations and Regulatory Compliance, and most recently, General Manager of External Relations and Sustainable Development.
He is recognised for his work on major public relations and advertising campaigns for top brands.
At NLNG, he successfully managed the company’s rebranding and implemented one of Nigeria’s best-run micro-credit schemes for host communities. Odeh was also instrumental in instituting the NLNG Prize for Energy Reporting.
He is an alumnus of the University of Jos, the University of Lagos, INSEAD Business School, and the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), among others.
In the same vein,Adewunmi is a legal professional with over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Her expertise is in stakeholder management and advocacy, particularly from her extensive tenure at the Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCIN).
She is highly regarded for her ability to navigate complex external landscapes, ensuring regulatory compliance and protecting the company’s “licence to operate”.
At Shell, she held key roles, including Regulatory Affairs Manager, where she managed all mandatory regulatory engagements and permits.
As the Government Relations Manager, she built and maintained constructive relationships with the Presidency, ministries, departments, and agencies.
Adewunmi is known for her strong leadership skills, emotional intelligence, and ability to build robust stakeholder networks.
She is a subject matter expert on non-technical risks and has a background in law from the Nigerian Law School and Olabisi Onabanjo University.
The appointment of Odeh and Adewunmi reflects NNPC Limited’s commitment to enhancing communication and engagement with stakeholders, the statement said.
The ICIR reported that the former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, resigned in June.
Soneye confirmed the resignation in a statement he shared on his Facebook handle on Saturday, June 21.
The NNPCL has been in the eye of the storm for alleged financial misappropriation.
The ICIR reported on Thursday, June 19, that the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, during an investigative session with a team from NNPCL, raised concern over the N200 trillion unaccounted funds in the audited financial statements between 2017 and 2023.
The committee had flagged the discrepancies, questioning the NNPCL over the absence of detailed records to justify massive legal and auditing fees, as well as contradictions in receivables said to be worth approximately N210 trillion.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.