The Centre for Reforms and Good Governance (CRGG) has praised the leadership of Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari as group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). The centre stated that Ojulari's reforms have significantly boosted public confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration. In a statement, the CRGG described Ojulari's tenure since his appointment on April 2, 2025, as a defining chapter in the commercialisation and professionalisation of Nigeria's national oil company.
According to the CRGG, Ojulari's result-driven approach has delivered measurable gains across upstream production, financial performance, transparency, infrastructure delivery, and investor confidence. The centre noted that 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 CRGG highlighted Ojulari's disciplined leadership, commercial focus, and commitment to transparency as key factors in NNPCL's transformation.
The centre noted that NNPCL recorded ₦19.04 trillion in revenue and ₦2.28 trillion in profit after tax between January and June 2026. Statutory remittances to the Federation Account reached ₦6.286 trillion in the same period and climbed to ₦7.913 trillion by the end of July, including a single-month payment of ₦1.627 trillion in July. These figures represent a decisive break from past patterns of irregular transfers and limited disclosure.
The CRGG highlighted the dramatic rise in upstream output under Ojulari's watch. National crude oil production has been sustained at levels above 1.7 million barrels per day. The centre stated that the 2026 half-year numbers demonstrate NNPCL's transformation into a true commercial entity that delivers value to the Nigerian people.
Maxwell Onazi, executive director of the CRGG, stated that Ojulari's results have made a clear and credible connection between the NNPCL's performance and the broader reform agenda of President Tinubu. Onazi noted that when citizens see consistent, transparent remittances and rising production under a leadership appointed by this administration, their trust in the reform agenda naturally increases.
The centre further highlighted the operational gains that underpinned the financial performance. The CRGG noted that Ojulari's leadership has reversed years of opacity and operational inefficiency at NNPCL. The centre described the surge in production, the restoration of regular Federation Account remittances, and the unprecedented financial disclosures as concrete evidence of the Tinubu administration's reforms in the oil and gas sector.
The CRGG's statement concluded that Ojulari's tenure has shown that with disciplined leadership, commercial focus, and commitment to transparency, NNPCL can be transformed from a historically loss-making entity into a profitable, investor-ready national asset. The centre's endorsement of Ojulari's leadership and the NNPCL's performance is seen as a boost to the Tinubu administration's reform agenda.
Key points
- The Centre for Reforms and Good Governance hails NNPCL's transformative leadership under Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari.
- NNPCL recorded ₦19.04 trillion in revenue and ₦2.28 trillion in profit after tax between January and June 2026.
- National crude oil production has been sustained at levels above 1.7 million barrels per day under Ojulari's watch.
