A coalition of civil society organisations has cautioned against sustained media attacks on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its leadership, describing the campaigns as deliberate attempts to frustrate the company’s reforms.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, the Director-General of the Global Centre for Conscious Living Against Corruption (GCCLAC), Dr. Gabriel Nwambu, said traducers should allow the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Engr. Bayo Ojulari, and his management team to focus on repositioning the oil company.
“For several weeks now, there has been a plethora of mudslinging against the management of NNPCL in the media by perceived traducers who mean no well for the survival of Nigeria,” Nwambu declared.
Reading a statement entitled ‘Enough is Enough: A word for NNPCL Traducers’, he added:
“In recent weeks, there has been an upsurge in negative media reportage against Nigeria’s national oil company and its senior management. These attacks, carefully orchestrated and coordinated by faceless groups and individuals with nefarious intents, are to say the least, most unfortunate.
“The frightening part of this dangerous development is that these negative campaigns don’t look like they will stop anytime soon. Today, it is Bayo Ojulari, the Group CEO; tomorrow, it is Dapo Segun, the Chief Financial Officer, and the next day, it is Udy Ntia, the Executive Vice President, Upstream.
“The evil forces appear unrelenting in their quest to bring the company and its management to their knees.”
He lamented that NNPCL had faced sponsored attacks ranging from frivolous lawsuits to staged protests with “rented crowds,” insisting that the critics were bent on derailing the company’s transformation agenda.
“To think that some Nigerians are behind these mischievous allegations in the media is just serendipitous. The purveyors of these acts are probably oblivious of the immense damage they are doing to a company which should be our collective national treasure,” he said.
Describing NNPCL as “the goose that lays the golden egg” and “a company about to be listed on the stock exchange,” Nwambu questioned the motive of those behind the negative campaigns.
He asked: “What do they stand to gain by making these potentially damaging allegations towards one of Nigeria’s major brands and institutions? What is their benefit if the National Oil Company goes down as a result of their cynical opinions which seem to keep discerning investors away? Where is their patriotism?”
According to him, instead of resorting to “media trial,” critics should take legal steps if they had genuine grievances.
“These traducers, in their myopic view, always think NNPCL led by Bashir Bayo Ojulari is the problem of Nigeria. Again, these critics, in their warped thinking, believe they or their paymasters can do better in case they are asked to steer the ship of a company that is gradually fighting its age-long demons and coming back to life,” he stated.
Highlighting Ojulari’s achievements, Nwambu said the NNPCL boss had introduced reforms in transparency, fiscal discipline, and competitiveness. He cited the progress on the 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline project, which recently crossed the River Niger, as well as improved crude oil production and full crude oil pipeline availability in June 2025.
He also noted that Ojulari ensured prompt payment of cash call obligations to international oil companies and revamped governance and procurement processes to save billions of naira.
“His leadership acumen has also ensured significant increase in Nigeria’s crude oil production, generating more revenue for the country in the process. Unlike in the past when NNPCL’s partners complained of non-payment, today, they have a reliable partner,” Nwambu said.
Quoting an adage, he added: “Critics are like eunuchs in a harem, they have seen it done times without number, but they can never do it themselves. Sadly, like the eunuchs, these on-watching cynics can never do it themselves.
“Fact is whether they like it or not, the NNPCL reforms are like a moving train that can never be stopped. Mr. President did not make a mistake by nominating the current NNPCL management.”
The coalition, he said, was convinced that the Ojulari-led leadership was “driven by technical acumen, eagle-eyed attention to detail, and an unrelenting desire to rewrite the oil and gas playbook in Nigeria.”
“In conclusion, as partners in the Nigerian Project, our coalition calls on these detractors to support the Bayo Ojulari-led management team for the good work it is doing. Instead of circling like vultures, they should allow the new management at the NNPCL to turn around the fortunes of the company and set Nigeria on the enviable path of greatness,” Nwambu declared.
