The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mr. Bayo Ojulari, has no statutory role in licensing and award of oil block, officials of the oil giant said at the weekend.
Claims that the GCEO is part of the licensing and award of oil block were described as “deliberately false, malicious and legally unsustainable.”
The sources stressed that neither Ojulari nor NNPC possesses the statutory authority to allocate oil blocks or issue petroleum licences.
Under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 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.
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Consequently, the sources said, any suggestion that Ojulari personally awarded an oil block, influenced the allocation process or used his position to secure a field for any individual or company is not only unsupported by evidence but fundamentally inconsistent with the law.
“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.”
It was learnt that powerful interests threatened by the reform programme of the NNPC leadership are allegedly behind a coordinated campaign to discredit Ojulari and force him out of office, industry sources explained.
The sources alleged that individuals whose commercial interests have been disrupted by Ojulari’s transparency drive, tighter financial controls and cost-reduction measures are supporting a group operating under the name Oil and Gas Professionals Forum (OGPF).
The group recently alleged that a company linked to Ojulari’s wife benefited from the award of a marginal oil field. However, it reportedly failed to produce corporate documents, beneficial ownership records, licensing papers or any other credible evidence establishing such a connection.
Industry insiders described the allegation as a calculated fabrication designed to stain Ojulari’s reputation, erode public confidence in his leadership and create artificial 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.”
Sources said the attacks intensified as the NNPC leadership moved 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 are fighting back because their interests have been affected by the reforms.
According to the sources, the strategy is to portray Ojulari as ethically compromised, weaken his moral authority and distract the NNPC leadership from implementing far-reaching institutional changes.
No documentary evidence identifying the alleged sponsors of the campaign was provided to this newspaper.
Since assuming office, Ojulari has pursued reforms aimed at repositioning NNPC 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 demanded greater discipline in contracting and investment decisions, while seeking to eliminate waste, strengthen internal controls and ensure that commercial arrangements deliver measurable value to the company and the Nigerian people.
Industry stakeholders said these measures have inevitably 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 NNPC does not award oil blocks. NNPC 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 claims to produce verifiable evidence and submit it to the appropriate investigative authorities rather than circulate unsupported accusations through anonymous groups and social-media platforms.
NNPC maintained that it would not be intimidated or distracted from implementing reforms designed to strengthen transparency, improve operational efficiency and transform the company into a disciplined and commercially successful national energy enterprise.
SOURCE: The Nation Nigeria
