|By Adejumo Adekunle
…Analyst warns of sabotage against reforms under Ojulari’s leadership
A public affairs analyst and national coordinator of the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiatives (CGGCI), Okpokwu Ogenyi, has accused some influential Nigerians of plotting to sabotage the ongoing reforms at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, Ogenyi warned that coordinated efforts are underway to discredit the leadership of the NNPCL Group Managing Director, Bayo Ojulari, in a bid to reverse the progress the state oil firm has recorded in recent months.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stay alert and resist any form of manipulation aimed at frustrating the company’s transformation agenda. “We respectfully urge His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to remain vigilant and discerning regarding the motives of those peddling unfounded allegations and character assassinations against the GMD,” he stated.
Ogenyi said that under Ojulari’s short leadership, the NNPCL has undergone a noticeable turnaround with transparent financial disclosures and improved operational oversight.
“Mr. Ojulari initiated a sweeping audit of long-standing, opaque contracts, particularly those involving crude lifting and infrastructure projects,” Ogenyi revealed. “This has exposed inflated costs and revenue leakages, many of which are now under internal review.”
He also said Ojulari has rolled out a real-time monitoring dashboard for operations across crude production, refining, and fuel distribution—a move he described as unprecedented in the NNPCL’s history.
In addition, Ogenyi noted that Ojulari’s crackdown on fraudulent practices had ended several illicit deals involving shell companies and unqualified intermediaries, saving the country billions in potential losses.
“For the first time in years, whistleblowing and internal accountability are being actively encouraged at NNPC,” he added. “Dozens of staff have been reassigned and internal oversight units strengthened to sanitize the system.”
Ogenyi maintained that those behind the smear campaign are bent on reinstalling corrupt actors previously entrenched in the system. He emphasized that the choice of Ojulari as GMD was based on competence and should not be swayed by “deceptive lobbying and calculated blackmail.”
He urged Nigerians to support the ongoing reforms at the NNPCL and resist attempts to derail progress under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.
