The newly appointed management team at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), headed by Bayo Ojulari, has voiced serious concerns over deliberate efforts by certain individuals—both internally and externally—to undermine the company’s drive towards transparency and ethical reform.
Ojulari assumed the position following the removal of Mele Kyari as Group Chief Executive Officer by President Bola Tinubu on April 2, 2025.
In a statement released by the NNPC management on Friday, the leadership disclosed that it had identified what appears to be a coordinated attack orchestrated by a network of individuals—some identifiable, others operating anonymously—within and outside the company’s structure.
According to the statement, these individuals are intentionally circulating falsehoods and misleading narratives designed to tarnish the image of the current leadership and derail its mission to transform NNPC into a performance-focused and corruption-free enterprise.
The statement noted, “The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has uncovered an emerging coordinated sabotage campaign being waged by a syndicate of known and faceless actors, both outside and within various levels of the organisation.”
The company further explained that these saboteurs were behind the spread of sensational and fabricated stories, aimed at distracting decision-makers and confusing the public.
It characterized these actions as deliberate maneuvers by those who perceive the ongoing reforms as a threat to their interests, warning that their goal is to resist progress, transparency, and institutional accountability.
“Their tactics include planting scandalous and fabricated reports, curated to distract leadership, mislead the public, and undermine the commitment of our dedicated workforce and reform-minded Nigerians. These are calculated efforts by those who feel threatened by reform, transparency, accountability, and change, clear evidence of the lengths to which they will go to obstruct the transformation of Nigeria’s foremost energy institution,” the statement said.
Nevertheless, the management said it anticipated more defamatory attacks in the coming weeks, but stressed that these would not hinder the company’s determination to continue with its reforms.
“We expect a surge of defamatory content in the days and weeks ahead. NNPC Ltd remains undeterred. The transformation is underway, and no amount of sabotage will stop it. We urge our dedicated staff, stakeholders, and all patriotic Nigerians to stay focused, ignore the noise and not be discouraged. We remain on a mission.”
It is worth noting that following the recent resignation of Olufemi Soneye, the company has yet to appoint a new spokesperson.
