The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has dismissed several top officials, just 27 days after the departure of its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari.

Among those affected is Bala Wunti, Chief Upstream Investment Officer at NNPC Upstream Investment Services (NUIMS), which manages the Federal Government’s interests in the oil and gas upstream sector.

NUIMS oversees Nigeria’s equity participation in Joint Ventures (JV), Production Sharing Contracts (PSC), and Service Contracts (SC), making it one of the most powerful arms of the national oil company.

Sources confirmed that the sweeping changes also affected a number of middle and junior staff, as part of what appears to be a broad restructuring initiative. The shake-up was first reported by an online publication on Tuesday.

Although NNPCL has yet to issue an official statement, the development is being interpreted by industry observers as a major overhaul in the wake of Kyari’s exit, potentially aimed at repositioning the company ahead of expected reforms in the oil and gas sector.