Oil Expert Hails Ojulari’s Appointment, Says NNPC Needed Reform Long Ago

Oil Expert Hails Ojulari’s Appointment, Says NNPC Needed Reform Long Ago

By Matthew Eloyi

An oil industry expert and former adviser to a petroleum minister, Mr. Dan Kunle, has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) was long overdue for reform, blaming past leadership for resisting change due to entrenched corruption.

Speaking during the Diaspora Dialogues hosted virtually on Saturday by Prof. Farooq Kperogi, Prof. Moses Ochonu, and Dr. Osmund Agbo, Kunle said those previously in charge of the state oil company were benefitting from the sector’s lack of transparency.

According to him, the opaqueness in Nigeria’s oil sector was largely driven by the interests of individuals who profited from lack of accountability.

Kunle also praised the appointment of Engr. Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the NNPC, saying the move was timely, appropriate, and welcomed by the industry.

Kunle was critical of former NNPC boss, Mele Kyari, describing his tenure as “incompetent, irresponsible, and corrupt.” He noted that none of the projects initiated under Kyari’s leadership were completed before his exit.

Addressing concerns over regional favouritism, Kunle clarified that Ojulari, though Yoruba, hails from Kwara State in Nigeria’s North Central region, while President Tinubu is from Lagos State in the South West. He urged Nigerians to focus on Ojulari’s track record and expertise rather than his ethnic origin.

On the status of Nigeria’s government-owned refineries, Kunle lamented that most are either partially operational or completely moribund, further emphasising the need for urgent and sustained reforms in the sector.

The virtual discussion, themed “Kyari Out, Ojulari In: Politics and Corruption in NNPC,” provided a critical appraisal of the leadership changes at the national oil company and broader challenges in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.