By Abiola Olawale
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has raised an alarm over what it described as a calculated campaign by a “shadowy syndicate” to undermine its transformation into a transparent, corruption-free energy powerhouse.
Under the leadership of Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Ojulari, the state-owned oil giant maintained that it would crush resistance and deliver on President Bola Tinubu’s mandate for reform.
In a statement signed by the management on Friday, the new leadership disclosed that it had 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.
According to the statement, the actors were actively spreading lies and misinformation to discredit the new leadership and derail the organisation’s ongoing transformation into a corruption-free and performance-driven energy company.
The statement reads in part: “The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) 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.
“This group is actively spreading lies and misinformation simply to discredit NNPC Ltd.’s leadership and derail the organisation’s ongoing transformation into a corruption-free, performance-driven energy company, in line with the mandate of His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“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 NNPC leadership stated.
The New Diplomat reports that the NNPCL has been facing huge scrutiny over the past few months.
Recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested some former top officials of the NNPC.
According to reports, the arrest of these key figures is linked to an alleged $7.2 billion refinery rehabilitation project at the nation’s refineries in Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt.
Among those arrested is Jimoh Olasunkanmi, former Managing Director of Warri Refinery. He is also reportedly in custody, facing scrutiny for his alleged role in financial mismanagement.
Sources within the EFCC reveal that the probe targets a staggering $2.96 billion disbursed across the three refineries: $1.56 billion for Port Harcourt, $740.6 million for Kaduna, and $656.9 million for Warri, respectively.
These funds were intended to revive Nigeria’s ageing and long-dormant refineries. But industry people have raised questions about the workability of the refineries after injecting these huge funds.
