Industry insiders have dismissed allegations linking the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari, to the award of an oil block or marginal field, stating he holds no statutory authority to allocate petroleum licences.
The allegations, which suggest a company connected to Ojulari’s wife benefited from a recent licensing round, were described by senior industry officials as unsupported by evidence and inconsistent with the legal framework governing the sector. Under the Petroleum Industry Act, upstream licensing is administered exclusively by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, while the authority to grant a Petroleum Prospecting Licence rests with the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Sources familiar with the process said Ojulari neither conducted the bid process nor evaluated applicants, selected beneficiaries, or approved any award. “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 exercise. Those spreading this narrative know this, but they are deliberately misleading the public.”
The insiders alleged the claims are part of a coordinated campaign driven by individuals and commercial interests opposed to reforms initiated under Ojulari’s leadership. They identified the Oil and Gas Professionals Forum as a vehicle for the accusations, noting the group has not produced corporate documents, beneficial ownership records, or licensing papers to substantiate the alleged connection or prove Ojulari influenced the outcome.
According to the sources, the strategy aims to portray Ojulari as ethically compromised, weaken his authority, and divert attention from institutional changes at NNPCL. Those changes include measures to improve transparency in commercial transactions, enforce financial discipline, reduce operating costs, and review arrangements considered wasteful.
Since assuming office, Ojulari has prioritised cost reduction, increased production, stronger corporate governance, and greater transparency across the company’s operations. Industry stakeholders acknowledged such reforms could affect established interests that previously benefited from weak oversight.
A senior NNPCL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated. The official confirmed Ojulari has complied with 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 therefore built on a false premise.”
The official challenged accusers to submit verifiable evidence to appropriate investigative authorities rather than circulating unsupported accusations through anonymous platforms. NNPCL insiders maintained the company would not be distracted from implementing reforms aimed at transforming the national oil company into a disciplined, commercially successful energy enterprise.
