A group of stakeholders in Nigeria’s petroleum industry has dismissed reports alleging that the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Bashir Ojulari, chartered private jets for a trip to Brazil, describing the claims as “false, malicious, and sponsored.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, the stakeholders said the stories were part of a “growing pattern of coordinated misinformation” targeted at discrediting Ojulari and distracting him from delivering on the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to restructure the national oil company.
Reliable sources in Abuja confirmed that Ojulari has remained in the capital, engaged in high-level meetings and preparations for key industry events, contrary to reports that he traveled abroad.
“The latest falsehood is not an isolated incident. It bears the same hallmarks as earlier fabrications about the NNPC Board’s retreat in Kigali where detractors deliberately twisted facts about the purpose of the meeting and exaggerated claims about the number of aircraft used,” the group stated.
They noted that the Kigali retreat, contrary to online narratives, had yielded critical outcomes, including a rigorous performance assessment and a roadmap for NNPCL’s strategic execution.
According to insiders, the sustained smear campaign is believed to be driven by “enemies within” — individuals allegedly collaborating with external actors to undermine the government’s energy reform agenda.
“Their method has been planting lies, mischaracterising legitimate processes, and attempting to distract management from its core mission,” the statement added.
Despite the campaign of misinformation, the group reaffirmed confidence in the leadership of NNPCL under Ojulari, insisting that the management remains focused on boosting oil and gas production, safeguarding energy security, and strengthening investor confidence in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
