NNPC welcomes public scrutiny, defends Ojulari’s performance

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has welcomed public scrutiny of its operations while defending the performance of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari.

 

The company said its crude oil and gas production had increased under Ojulari’s leadership.

 

NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, stated this on Saturday in a statement responding to recent media reports attributed to the Oil and Gas Professionals Forum, which questioned the company’s leadership over the recently concluded oil licensing round conducted by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

 

Odeh clarified that NNPC Limited had no regulatory or allocative role in the licensing round, noting that the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 vested the responsibility for conducting licensing rounds and allocating oil blocks in the NUPRC.

 

“NNPC Limited, since its incorporation, has operated strictly as a commercial entity and holds no regulatory or allocative authority,” he said.

 

On production, the company said crude oil output increased from an average of 1.60 million barrels per day, including condensate, in April 2025 to 1.67 million barrels per day in April 2026.

 

It said the increase of about 80,000 barrels per day represented six per cent growth.

 

NNPC also reported a rise in gas production from 7,354 million standard cubic feet per day in April 2025 to 7,729mmscfd in April 2026, representing a five per cent increase.

 

Odeh said the figures were contained in NNPC’s publicly available Monthly Performance Reports.

 

The company said it remained committed to transparency and accountability and would continue to engage openly on its operations and performance.

 

However, NNPC warned that it would take necessary steps to protect its reputation and that of its leadership against what it described as false or unsubstantiated claims.

 

“We encourage industry commentators, analysts, and professional associations to verify information through the appropriate regulatory and corporate channels before publication,” Odeh said.

 

He urged stakeholders to rely on verified information to ensure that public commentary on Nigeria’s energy sector remained factual, balanced and constructive.