NNPC responds to criticism of CEO Ojulari, says it welcomes public scrutiny

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability while defending the performance of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bayo Ojulari.Responding to recent media reports from the Oil and Gas Professionals Forum (OGPF) that questioned the company’s leadership, NNPC clarified its role in the oil licensing round conducted by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).Chief Corporate Communications Officer Andy Odeh stressed that under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, NNPC operates strictly as a commercial entity without regulatory or allocative authority. “NNPC Limited, since its incorporation, has operated strictly as a commercial entity and holds no regulatory or allocative authority,” he said.The company highlighted improvements in production under Ojulari’s leadership. Crude oil output rose from 1.60 million barrels per day (mbpd) in April 2025 to 1.67mbpd by April 2026, a six per cent increase. Gas production also grew by five per cent, from 7,354 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) to 7,729mmscfd during the same period.“These figures are documented in NNPC Limited’s Monthly Performance Report, which is available to the public,” Odeh noted, adding that the company remains open to scrutiny but will act to protect its reputation against false claims.NNPC urged industry stakeholders to rely on verified information from regulatory and corporate channels to ensure public commentary remains factual and constructive.

The NNPC said it remained committed to transparency and accountability and would continue to engage openly on its performance and operations. The post NNPC welcomes public scrutiny, defends Ojulari’s performance appeared first on Vanguard News.