Buhari’s Era Was The Golden Period Of The Oil Sector

Chief Michael Olurunfemi 

Chief Michael Olorunfemi, a retired Group Executive Director of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), in an interview gives account of his working experience with the
presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, at  Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation NNPC.

How did you find yourself in the oil industry?
I was lecturing at the University of Lagos. After two years, I left because I did not feel like what I wanted to do was what I was doing. I was teaching mathematical engineering then. After two years, I saw an advertisement in the newspapers for a Senior Petroleum Economist. I was not in petroleum management, but I applied and, when I applied, I was given the job. That was how I came into the industry in 1972. I was then in the Petroleum Ministry. At that time some thought I had not taken the right step.

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We learnt you had a working relationship with Gen Muhammadu Buhari at the time he was the Federal Commissioner for Petroleum Resources. Can you describe how you first met him?

It was at Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries OPEC that I had the knowledge of oil and gas because I had not spent five months in the ministry before I went there. I was the first Nigerian to be in OPEC. Nigeria joined OPEC in 1971 and I was the first representative in 1973. That period, 1973-1977, was critical in OPEC. I had only four years contract and, after the four years, I came back to Nigeria.

I came back to Nigeria the first day NNPC was born. That was in 1977.  I met Buhari when I came back when he was the Commissioner for Petroleum Resources. He started in 1976 but I came back from OPEC in 1977. Because of my experience, when they wanted to have a national representative in OPEC, I was chosen as the Nigerian representative in the OPEC Commission Board.