By: Viktor Efe-Oghene
Bala Wunti whose performance with his team resulted in a 29% growth in production within just four months, contributing significantly to the 1.88 million barrels of oil per day (MBOPD) reported.
As the Group General Manager of NUIMS, Bala Wunti led numerous initiatives that transformed the organization. Under his leadership, NUIMS achieved ISO 9001 (2015) and ISO 22301:2019 certifications, developed an Industry-Wide Security Architecture, and established a state-of-the-art Command and Control Centre to curb crude theft and sabotage. His tenure also saw the optimization of Soku, the restart of the Asa-Rumuekpe line, and the completion of significant projects such as the Anyala and Madu projects.
Who is Bala Wunti?
Bala Maijama’a Wunti was born in 1970 in Bauchi State. He had his secondary school education at Government Science School, Toro, Bauchi State where he graduated with a WASSCE. He got admitted to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU) through the IJMB programme. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from ABU, Zaria.
Wunti hold a master’s degree from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and is an alumni of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program and University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. Bala Wunti is a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science and the Chemical Society of Nigeria.
Bala Wunti’s career with NNPC began in 1991. From 2010 to 2015, he served as the Senior Technical Advisor to the Group Managing Director of NNPC. He then took on the role of General Manager of the Efficiency Unit to the Group Managing Director from 2015 to 2016. His journey continued as the General Manager and Technical Advisor on Downstream from 2016 to 2017, and subsequently as the Group General Manager of NNPC Corporate Planning and Strategy from 2017 to 2019. In 2019, he was appointed the Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a position he held until 2020.
In 2025, Wunti has appointed as the Chief Health, Safety, and Environment Officer at NNPC Limited. While there are calls to President Tinubu to appoint Wunti as the chief executive of NNPC, Mele Kyari-led team, alongside Bala Wunti and others, has its name written in gold in the history of the Nigerian oil sector despite challenges and distractions within and outside the sector.
What is his main duty in the NNPC?
Bala Wunti is responsible for overseeing all aspects of worker health, safety, and environmental compliance within the company’s operations, ensuring adherence to industry regulations and promoting a culture of safety across all levels.
Bala Wunti, a leader within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has transitioned from the role of Group General Manager of the NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS) to his new position as the Chief Health, Safety, and Environment Officer at NNPC Limited.
Bala Wunti whose performance with his team resulted in a 29% growth in production within just four months, contributing significantly to the 1.88 million barrels of oil per day (MBOPD) reported.
As the Group General Manager of NUIMS, Bala Wunti led numerous initiatives that transformed the organization. Under his leadership, NUIMS achieved ISO 9001 (2015) and ISO 22301:2019 certifications, developed an Industry-Wide Security Architecture, and established a state-of-the-art Command and Control Centre to curb crude theft and sabotage. His tenure also saw the optimization of Soku, the restart of the Asa-Rumuekpe line, and the completion of significant projects such as the Anyala and Madu projects.
Who is Bala Wunti?
Bala Maijama’a Wunti was born in 1970 in Bauchi State. He had his secondary school education at Government Science School, Toro, Bauchi State where he graduated with a WASSCE. He got admitted to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU) through the IJMB programme. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from ABU, Zaria.
Wunti hold a master’s degree from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and is an alumni of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program and University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. Bala Wunti is a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science and the Chemical Society of Nigeria.
Bala Wunti’s career with NNPC began in 1991. From 2010 to 2015, he served as the Senior Technical Advisor to the Group Managing Director of NNPC. He then took on the role of General Manager of the Efficiency Unit to the Group Managing Director from 2015 to 2016. His journey continued as the General Manager and Technical Advisor on Downstream from 2016 to 2017, and subsequently as the Group General Manager of NNPC Corporate Planning and Strategy from 2017 to 2019. In 2019, he was appointed the Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a position he held until 2020.
In 2025, Wunti has appointed as the Chief Health, Safety, and Environment Officer at NNPC Limited. While there are calls to President Tinubu to appoint Wunti as the chief executive of NNPC, Mele Kyari-led team, alongside Bala Wunti and others, has its name written in gold in the history of the Nigerian oil sector despite challenges and distractions within and outside the sector.
What is his main duty in the NNPC?
Bala Wunti is responsible for overseeing all aspects of worker health, safety, and environmental compliance within the company’s operations, ensuring adherence to industry regulations and promoting a culture of safety across all levels.
and then