The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has defended the performance of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bayo Ojulari, saying the company has recorded growth in both crude oil and gas production since he assumed office.
The national oil company also said it welcomed public scrutiny of its operations, stressing that transparency, accountability and open engagement remained important to its activities.
The clarification followed recent reports attributed to the Oil and Gas Professionals Forum (OGPF), which questioned the performance of NNPC’s leadership in relation to the recently concluded oil licensing round conducted by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
In a statement issued on Saturday, NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, explained that the company was not responsible for conducting or allocating oil blocks under the licensing exercise.
According to Odeh, the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 gives the NUPRC the statutory responsibility for conducting oil licensing rounds and allocating oil blocks.
He said NNPC Ltd had operated as a commercial entity since its incorporation and therefore had no regulatory or allocative powers over the licensing process.
“NNPC Limited, since its incorporation, has operated strictly as a commercial entity and holds no regulatory or allocative authority,” Odeh stated.
Addressing concerns about the company’s production performance, NNPC said available data indicated that crude oil output had recorded sustained growth since April 2025.
The company said average crude oil production, including condensate, stood at 1.60 million barrels per day (mbpd) in April 2025. Production subsequently increased during the second half of the year before reaching 1.67mbpd in April 2026.
NNPC said the increase amounted to about 80,000 barrels per day, representing approximately six per cent growth in crude oil production within the period.
Odeh said the figures were contained in NNPC Ltd’s Monthly Performance Report, which is publicly accessible.
The company also disclosed that natural gas production increased during the same period.
According to NNPC, average gas production rose from 7,354 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) in April 2025 to 7,729mmscfd by April 2026.
The increase of 375mmscfd represented about five per cent growth, which NNPC said reflected an expansion in gas production to support domestic energy requirements as well as Nigeria’s export commitments.
The company said the gas production figures were also documented in its Monthly Performance Report.
While reiterating its willingness to be scrutinised, NNPC said it would take appropriate measures to protect the reputation of the company and its leadership against claims it considers false, inaccurate or unsupported by evidence.
Odeh urged industry stakeholders, analysts and professional organisations to verify information with relevant regulatory bodies and corporate sources before making public statements.
He said greater reliance on verified data would promote factual and balanced discussions about NNPC’s performance and contribute to more constructive debate on the development of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
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