The Centre for Reforms and Good Governance (CRGG) has praised the leadership of Mr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari as Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). Since his appointment on April 2, 2025, Ojulari's transformative leadership has significantly boosted public confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration. The CRGG described his tenure as a defining chapter in the commercialisation and professionalisation of Nigeria's national oil company.
According to the CRGG, Ojulari's results-driven approach has delivered measurable gains across various sectors, including upstream production, financial performance, transparency, infrastructure delivery, and investor confidence. These outcomes align directly with the Renewed Hope Agenda and demonstrate the administration's capacity to appoint competent technocrats capable of delivering tangible national value. The centre noted that Ojulari's leadership has transformed NNPCL from a historically loss-making entity into a profitable, investor-ready national asset.
The CRGG highlighted the dramatic rise in upstream output under Ojulari's watch, with national crude oil production sustained at levels above 1.7 million barrels per day for much of 2026. The centre also noted a surge in production, the restoration of regular Federation Account remittances, and unprecedented financial disclosures. These achievements demonstrate that the Tinubu administration's reforms in the oil and gas sector are working.
In the first half of 2026, NNPCL recorded N19.04 trillion in revenue and N2.28 trillion in profit after tax between January and June. Statutory remittances to the Federation Account reached N6.286 trillion in the same period and climbed to N7.913 trillion by the end of July, including a single-month payment of N1.627 trillion in July. These figures represent a decisive break from past patterns of irregular transfers and limited disclosure.
The centre's Executive Director, Maxwell Onazi, stated that Ojulari's results have made a clear and credible connection between the leadership's efforts and the public's trust in the broader reform agenda of President Tinubu. Onazi emphasised that the 2026 half-year numbers demonstrate NNPCL's operation as a true commercial entity that delivers value to the Nigerian people.
The CRGG noted that Ojulari's leadership has unlocked multi-billion-dollar investments, reversing years of opacity and operational inefficiency. The centre's statement highlighted the concrete evidence that the Tinubu administration's reforms in the oil and gas sector are working, and that Nigerians can once again trust that their most strategic national resource is being managed with integrity and competence.
The reforms under Ojulari's stewardship have restored trust in the NNPCL and the Tinubu administration. The CRGG's praise for Ojulari's leadership underscores the positive impact of the administration's appointment of competent technocrats. The centre's endorsement of NNPCL's performance under Ojulari's leadership is a testament to the company's transformation into a profitable and transparent entity.
Key points
- Centre for Reforms and Good Governance praises NNPCL's leadership under Mr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari
- NNPCL records significant gains in revenue, profit, and remittances to the Federation Account
- Reforms under Ojulari's stewardship boost public confidence in Tinubu's administration
