The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has clarified that its Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Bayo Ojulari, has no statutory role in the licensing or allocation of oil blocks in Nigeria.
Officials of the national oil company described recent claims linking Ojulari to the award of an oil block as “deliberately false, malicious and legally unsustainable.”
The officials stressed that neither Ojulari nor NNPCL possesses the statutory authority to allocate oil blocks or issue petroleum licences.
Under the Petroleum Industry Act, upstream licensing is administered by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), while the authority to grant a Petroleum Prospecting Licence rests with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.
Consequently, the sources said any suggestion that Ojulari personally awarded an oil block, influenced the allocation process or used his position to secure an oil field for an individual or company was unsupported by evidence and inconsistent with the legal framework governing the industry.
“This allegation collapses under the slightest scrutiny,” a senior industry official said.
“Ojulari did not conduct the bid process, evaluate applicants, select winners or award any oil block. He had absolutely no statutory role in the process. Those spreading this narrative know this, but they are deliberately misleading the public.”
The clarification followed allegations by a group operating under the name Oil and Gas Professionals Forum (OGPF), which claimed that a company allegedly linked to Ojulari’s wife benefited from the award of a marginal oil field.
According to industry sources, the group failed to provide corporate documents, beneficial ownership records, licensing papers or other verifiable evidence establishing the alleged connection.
The sources alleged that the campaign against Ojulari was being driven by powerful interests whose commercial activities had been affected by reforms introduced under his leadership at NNPCL.
They claimed that individuals and companies whose interests had been disrupted by measures aimed at improving transparency, tightening financial controls and reducing costs were supporting efforts to discredit the GCEO and force him out of office.
Industry insiders described the allegations as an attempt to damage Ojulari’s reputation, undermine confidence in his leadership and create grounds for agitation against his continued tenure.
“This is not an innocent misunderstanding of the licensing process,” one source said.
“It is a deliberate attempt to hold Ojulari responsible for an exercise over which he had no legal authority, no regulatory responsibility and no decision-making power.”
The sources said the attacks had intensified as NNPCL leadership continued efforts to improve transparency in commercial transactions, enforce financial discipline, reduce operating costs and review arrangements considered wasteful or inconsistent with the company’s commercial objectives.
They alleged that some individuals and companies that previously benefited from opaque transactions and weak institutional controls were resisting the reforms because their interests had been affected.
According to the sources, the strategy was to portray Ojulari as ethically compromised, weaken his credibility and divert attention from institutional changes being implemented by the NNPCL management.
However, no documentary evidence identifying the alleged sponsors of the campaign was provided.
Since assuming office, Ojulari has pursued reforms aimed at repositioning NNPCL as a commercially driven, operationally efficient and globally competitive energy company.
His leadership has prioritised cost reduction, improved production, stronger corporate governance, financial accountability and greater transparency across the company’s commercial operations.
He has also pushed for greater discipline in contracting and investment decisions, while seeking to eliminate waste, strengthen internal controls and ensure that commercial arrangements deliver measurable value to NNPCL and the Nigerian people.
Industry stakeholders said the measures had challenged entrenched interests accustomed to benefiting from questionable arrangements and weak oversight.
A senior company official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, said Ojulari had complied with the relevant asset-declaration and Code of Conduct requirements.
“The attempt to link his family to an oil-block award is false and can easily be tested against official corporate and licensing records,” the official said.
“More importantly, the GCEO of NNPCL does not award oil blocks. NNPCL did not conduct the licensing exercise, and Ojulari neither selected nor approved any beneficiary. The allegation is built on a false premise.”
The official challenged those making the allegations to produce verifiable evidence and submit it to the appropriate investigative authorities rather than circulate unsupported accusations through anonymous groups and social media platforms.
NNPCL maintained that it would not be intimidated or distracted from implementing reforms aimed at strengthening transparency, improving operational efficiency and transforming the company into a disciplined and commercially successful national energy enterprise.
