
A public affairs analyst and convener of the Coalition of Civil Society for Energy Reform, Awaal Dairu, has revealed that the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari, is under fire because both internal and external forces have continued to peddle false information against him.
He said oil sector cabals are desperate to derail reforms at NNPCL and distract from its progress.
Dairu disclosed this in a statement released to DAILY POST on Wednesday.
His statement follows a sustained campaig by the Ijaw Youth Council on the call for Ojulari’s resignation.
Reacting to the development, Dairu, who is a stakeholder in the sector, condemned attacks on Ojulari.
He adjudged Ojulari’s tenure at NNPCL so far the most transparent, with monthly releases of audited financialssince April, upon his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He urged President Tinubu to ignore calls for Ojulari’s removal based on his performance indicator on fuel stability and boosting investor confidence in the country’s oil and gas sector.
“This orchestrated smear campaign, driven by elements of the entrenched cabal, is a desperate attempt to derail reforms at NNPC and distract from the tangible progress being made under Mr Ojulari’s leadership. It is a dangerous plot not only against an individual but also against the stability of Nigeria’s energy sector and the credibility of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We call on President Tinubu not to be swayed by detractors or manipulated into taking any action that would undermine the steady reforms taking place at NNPC,” he stated.
This comes amid the recent dismissal of Fegho Umunubo, presidential special adviser on the digital and creative economy in the Office of the Vice President.