NNPC Ltd. has raised alarm over sabotage plots targeting its ongoing reform and anti-corruption drive.
New CEO Bayo Ojulari says internal and external actors are spreading lies to derail transformation efforts.
The newly appointed leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), led by Bayo Ojulari, has raised concerns over what it described as coordinated sabotage efforts aimed at disrupting the company’s ongoing transformation.
Ojulari, who assumed the role of Group Chief Executive Officer after President Bola Tinubu relieved Mele Kyari of his duties on April 2, is steering a reform agenda aimed at fostering transparency and performance within the national oil giant.
In a statement released by the company’s management on Friday, NNPC Ltd. revealed it had identified a growing plot orchestrated by a group of individuals both within and outside the organization who are bent on undermining its leadership. The company said these individuals are spreading misinformation and lies to tarnish the image of its new leadership and derail its mission of becoming a corruption-free, performance-driven energy firm.
“This group is actively spreading lies and misinformation simply to discredit NNPC Ltd.’s leadership and derail the organization’s ongoing transformation in line with the mandate of His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement read.
NNPC Ltd. said tactics used by these saboteurs include publishing fabricated reports intended to mislead the public, distract the company’s leadership, and sow doubt about its reform process. The company described these actions as calculated moves by those who feel threatened by greater transparency, accountability, and change within the oil sector.
“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 company said.
Despite anticipating an increase in defamatory attacks in the coming weeks, the management maintained that it remains undeterred and focused on delivering sustainable reforms. It called on staff, stakeholders, and Nigerians at large to remain committed and not be swayed by the ongoing smear campaign.
“We expect a surge of defamatory content in the days and weeks ahead. NNPC Ltd. remains undeterred. The transformation is underway, and no amount of sabotage will stop it,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the company has yet to announce a new spokesperson following the resignation of its former Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, on Saturday.
