The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has raised the alarm over what it described as a “coordinated sabotage campaign” targeting its leadership and ongoing reforms.
In a statement issued by the management on Friday, June 27, the NNPC disclosed that certain individuals, both within and outside the organisation, are actively working to derail ongoing efforts to transform the company into a corruption-free and performance-driven institution.
Ojulari assumed office as Group Chief Executive Officer on April 2 following the removal of Mele Kyari by President Bola Tinubu. Since then, the company says it has come under attack from a syndicate of actors intent on destabilising its leadership and maligning its reform efforts.
“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,” the statement read. “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.”
The company warned that the tactics being employed include the circulation of fabricated and scandalous reports aimed at distracting leadership and misleading the public. It described the campaign as a calculated effort by individuals threatened by reform, transparency, and accountability.
“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 statement continued.
Despite anticipating an increase in defamatory content in the coming days, the leadership maintained its stance that the reform process would not be derailed. “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. We urge our dedicated staff, stakeholders, and all patriotic Nigerians to stay focused, ignore the noise and not be discouraged. We remain on a mission.”
The NNPC has not yet announced a replacement for its former spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, who resigned on Saturday, June 22.
