The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has defended the performance of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, citing growth in crude oil and gas production under his leadership, while welcoming public scrutiny of its operations.
The company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said in a statement on Saturday that the clarification followed media reports attributed to the Oil and Gas Professionals Forum (OGPF), which had questioned NNPC’s leadership over the recently concluded oil licensing round conducted by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Odeh said NNPC remained committed to transparency and would continue to engage openly on its performance, but stressed that the company held no regulatory or allocative authority over the licensing round.
He said the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 vests the conduct of licensing rounds and allocation of oil blocks solely in NUPRC.
“NNPC Limited, since its incorporation, has operated strictly as a commercial entity and holds no regulatory or allocative authority,” Odeh said.
On production, NNPC said crude oil output rose steadily from 1.60 million barrels per day (mbpd), inclusive of condensate, in April 2025 to 1.67mbpd by April 2026 — an increase of about 80,000 barrels per day, representing six per cent growth.
Odeh said the figures were documented in NNPC’s Monthly Performance Report, which is publicly available.
The company also reported gas production growth, from an average of 7,354 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) in April 2025 to 7,729mmscfd by April 2026 — a 375mmscfd increase, or five per cent growth, which it said supports domestic energy security and Nigeria’s export commitments.
NNPC said it remained open to scrutiny but warned it would take steps to protect its reputation and that of its leadership against false or unsubstantiated claims.
“We encourage industry commentators, analysts, and professional associations to verify information through the appropriate regulatory and corporate channels before publication,” Odeh said, adding that reliance on verified information would keep public commentary factual and constructive.
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