Ayodele Momoh, the leader of the Oil & Gas Professionals Forum, has issued a rebuttal to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). This follows claims that certain oil blocks were granted to associates of NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari.
In a statement released over the weekend, Momoh maintained that at least two oil blocks from the recent licensing round were awarded to individuals with ties to Ojulari. The forum criticized the NNPCL for attempting to deflect from the core issues surrounding the Marginal Field bid round by focusing on general corporate performance. While the NNPCL previously cleared Ojulari of misconduct, the OGPF argued that this response was misleading and failed to address specific allegations of conflicts of interest.
The OGPF detailed that among the 31 winning companies and 37 awarded blocks, clear links exist between the winners and Ojulari. The group alleged that Ojulari’s spouse, who works at the NUPRC, was instrumental in the evaluation process. Furthermore, they pointed out that one winner is already a participant in a Funding and Technical Services Agreement (FTSA) initiated under Ojulari’s tenure.
Regarding the NNPCL’s report of modest production growth between April 2025 and August 2026, the forum stated that such figures are insufficient and do not excuse the lack of transparency in the bidding process. The group dismissed the company’s focus on production data as a distraction from the fundamental questions regarding governance, ethics, and potential private gain in the distribution of national assets.