State oil company says it welcomes scrutiny but insists NUPRC, not NNPC, controls oil block licensing and allocation……
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has defended the performance of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, following criticism from the Oil and Gas Professionals Forum (OGPF) over the company’s role in Nigeria’s recently concluded oil licensing round.
While welcoming public scrutiny of its operations, NNPC said its production figures showed that crude oil and gas output had increased since Ojulari assumed leadership.
The company’s response came after media reports attributed to the OGPF questioned the performance of NNPC’s management in connection with the licensing exercise conducted by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
In a statement issued on Saturday, NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said the company remained committed to transparency and accountability and would continue to provide information about its operations.
He, however, said some aspects of the criticism required clarification, particularly the suggestion that NNPC was responsible for the allocation of oil blocks during the licensing round.
According to Odeh, the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 clearly assigns responsibility for conducting oil licensing rounds and allocating oil blocks to the NUPRC.
He stressed that NNPC operates as a commercial entity and does not have regulatory or allocative powers.
“NNPC Limited, since its incorporation, has operated strictly as a commercial entity and holds no regulatory or allocative authority,” Odeh said.
The clarification effectively separates NNPC’s commercial responsibilities from the regulatory functions of the upstream petroleum regulator.
NNPC said discussions about the outcome of the licensing round should therefore take into account the statutory responsibilities assigned to the respective institutions under the PIA.
Turning to its operational performance, NNPC said publicly available data showed that crude oil production 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.
By April 2026, production had risen to 1.67mbpd, representing an increase of approximately 80,000 barrels per day, or six per cent, according to the company.
Odeh said the figures were contained in NNPC’s Monthly Performance Report, which is publicly available.
The company presented the increase as evidence of improved production performance during the period under review.
NNPC said the upward trend was not limited to crude oil, noting that gas production also increased over the same period.
According to the company, average gas output rose from 7,354 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) in April 2025 to 7,729mmscfd by April 2026.
That represents an increase of 375mmscfd, equivalent to about five per cent growth.
NNPC said the additional gas production would support domestic energy requirements while also contributing to Nigeria’s export commitments.
The company said the gas figures, like its crude production data, were available in its publicly released Monthly Performance Report.
NNPC Urges Critics To Verify Claims
Despite its defence of the company’s performance, NNPC said it remained open to scrutiny from industry professionals, analysts and the wider public.
Odeh said the company would continue to engage with stakeholders and provide information about its operations, but warned that it would also take steps to protect the reputation of NNPC and its leadership against claims it considers false or unsupported by evidence.
“We encourage industry commentators, analysts, and professional associations to verify information through the appropriate regulatory and corporate channels before publication,” he said.
According to him, greater reliance on verified data would help ensure that discussions about Nigeria’s oil and gas industry remained factual, balanced and constructive.
The latest response places NNPC’s defence on two fronts: distancing the company from regulatory decisions over oil block allocation while pointing to reported increases in crude and gas production as evidence of progress under its current leadership.
