Energy Professionals Accuse NNPC of Diverting Attention From Marginal Field Bid Concerns

The Oil & Gas Professionals Forum (OGPF) has accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of issuing a misleading and diversionary response to concerns raised over the latest Marginal Field bid round and alleged links involving the NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari.

On August 2, the OGPF called for the removal of Ojulari, and the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, Meyiwa Eyesa, over the continued underperformance of Nigeria’s oil sector, questionable transactions and contracts, and controversies surrounding the award of oil blocks.

The group particularly alleged that Ojulari secured oil blocks for allies and cronies in the recently concluded licensing round conducted by the NUPRC, in which 31 companies emerged as winners and 37 available oil blocks were subsequently awarded.

OGPF alleged that Ojulari’s cronies and friends, including one of his wives, secured favourable oil blocks through insider influence.

Reacting to the accusations, the state-owned firm said under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, the conduct of oil licensing rounds and the allocation of oil blocks fall squarely within the statutory mandate of the NUPRC.

“NNPC Limited, since its incorporation, has operated strictly as a commercial entity and holds no regulatory or allocative authority,” NNPCL stated.

In a statement responding to the NNPC, the forum said the corporation failed to directly address questions relating to alleged conflicts of interest, the identities of bid beneficiaries and the performance of the current NNPC leadership.

The statement, which was signed by the OGPF convener, Ayodele Momoh, said the publication by the NNPC was “misleading, diversionary, and largely unresponsive to the core issues.”

“The NNPC publication attempts to distract from the substance of OGPF’s concerns by focusing on peripheral matters while failing to directly confront the questions put forward.

“OGPF maintains that the facts remain clear: A wife of Bayo Ojulari played a major role in the bid evaluation process.

“At least two of the marginal field award beneficiaries are close allies of Mr. Ojulari.

“One of the awardees holds the dubious distinction of being the first beneficiary of an FTSA award granted by Mr. Ojulari.

“OGPF rejects any attempt to treat these connections as coincidental. Where relationships and roles intersect in bid evaluation and awards, the outcome raises legitimate questions of conflict of interest and private gain that cannot be wished away through rhetorical framing,” the group said.

The forum also challenged what it described as NNPC’s emphasis on production figures, arguing that performance claims did not resolve the accountability and governance issues raised in relation to the bid process.

The group stated: “The performance narrative does not answer the accountability question.

“The NNPC publication also pivots into a glossy account of production performance rather than addressing the governance and integrity concerns raised by OGPF.

“On performance and delivery, OGPF holds that accountability is non-negotiable: Reporting only 6% oil production growth and 5% gas production growth between April 2025 and August 2026 falls short of the expectations of the leadership role.

“If the stated ambition is 3 million barrels within two years, then the current pace— measured by progress of approximately 80,000 barrels — cannot be treated as grounds for celebration.

“OGPF’s position is that results must be evaluated against targets, and leadership must take decisive action to close the gap, rather than seeking applause. NNPC under the current leadership should do better than brag about decimals.”

OGPF further disputed NNPC’s transparency claims, alleging that the corporation’s approach could preserve existing patronage networks and favour a narrow group of interests, including politically exposed persons and entities opposed to the Tinubu administration.

“The approach reflected in the publication appears designed to preserve the status quo and maintain NNPC as a channel of patronage for a narrow set of interests, including politically exposed persons and entities that have been verifiably positioned against the Tinubu Administration. This pattern reinforces the concerns OGPF has raised from the outset.

“OGPF reiterates that its focus remains on NNPC and Mr. Ojulari’s leadership. OGPF is not persuaded by diversionary messaging, and OGPF remains unconvinced by the record observed over the past 18 months.

“OGPF will continue to press for clarity, integrity, and accountability, especially where conflicts of interest and bid-related governance concerns are present,” the statement concluded.