Dr. Joseph Thlama Dawha got an unpleasant first anniversary gift Tuesday when President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday sacked him as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The sack came three days after Dawha clocked one year on the oily but coveted seat.
Dawha was appointed on August 1, 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan as replacement of Engineer Andrew Yakubu.
Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Executive Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Exxon-Mobil (Africa), has been appointed to take over from him.
The new man, from Onicha-Ugbo in Delta State, is a First Class Graduate of Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Nigerian Law School.
He also has Master and Doctorate Degrees in Law from the Harvard Law School.
He started his working career with the Nigerian/American Merchant Bank before moving on to Texaco Nigeria Limited where he remained for about eight years before joining ExxonMobil.
He takes over the NNPC which has been described as a cesspool of corruption at a point when President Buhari has promised to shake the oil behemoth to its root.
The Corporation has been accused of failing to account for billions of dollars in the last few years.
It represents national interests in oil and gas exploration and manages the energy sector. The Corpoartion is also the regulator for the oil sector in Africa’s biggest economy, which provides the government with around 70 percent of its revenue.
Buhari has also approved Tuesday the appointment of Professor Umaru Garba Danbatta as the new Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Prof. Danbatta, who holds a Doctorate Degree in Electronic Engineering, takes over from Dr. Eugene Juwah whose tenure expired on July 29, 2015.
The new NCC Chief Executive’s other academic qualifications include a Bachelor Degree in Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications as well as a Master Degree in the same field.
He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and has had a meritorious career in which he rose to become Professor of Electrical Engineering and Electronics at Bayero University, Kano, specializing in Telecommunications Engineering and Information and Communications Technology.
Before his new appointment, Prof. Danbatta held top management and leadership positions at different times including Head of Department, Dean Of Faculty, Director, Centre for Information Technology, Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (Kano Branch), Deputy Vice Chancellor and Acting Vice Chancellor.
His appointment as Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC is for five years in the first instance.
