The Association of Energy Policy Development has formally retracted its demand for the removal of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Ojulari, acknowledging that its initial position was based on incomplete and misleading information.
In a statement issued Saturday by the association’s president, Ibrahim Danjuma, the group said further investigations, document reviews, and engagement with industry stakeholders had revealed that its earlier criticism was unfair.
“We called for the resignation of Mr Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, arguing that the information available to us at the time suggested a disturbing level of opacity and weak accountability in the management of the nation’s petroleum resources,” Danjuma stated. “Today, after conducting further investigations, reviewing additional documents and engaging with relevant industry stakeholders, we have come before you to formally retract that position.”
The association had previously accused Ojulari of presiding over a leadership culture lacking transparency in the state-owned firm’s operations. The call for his removal intensified in recent weeks following allegations linking him to the award of oil blocks to associates during the recently concluded licensing round administered by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
NNPCL had vigorously defended its chief executive against those claims at the time.
The reversal marks a significant de-escalation in a controversy that had drawn attention to governance standards within Nigeria’s reformed petroleum sector. The association’s willingness to publicly correct its stance underscores the importance of evidence-based advocacy in energy policy discourse.
Industry observers note that the episode highlights the sensitivity surrounding license allocations under the Petroleum Industry Act framework, where transparency and competitive integrity remain under close scrutiny from both domestic stakeholders and international investors.
NNPCL has not issued a fresh response to the retraction, though the development is likely to ease pressure on the company’s leadership as it continues to navigate operational and regulatory priorities in a volatile global energy market.
