The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has welcomed public scrutiny of its operations while defending the performance of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, citing increased crude oil and gas production under his leadership.
The company’s response followed recent media reports attributed to the Oil and Gas Professionals Forum (OGPF), which questioned the performance of NNPC’s management 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, said the company remained committed to transparency and accountability and would continue to engage openly with the public on its operations and performance.
Odeh, however, clarified NNPC’s role in the licensing exercise, stressing that the company had no regulatory or allocative authority over the process.
He explained that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 gives the NUPRC the statutory responsibility for conducting oil licensing rounds and allocating oil blocks.
“NNPC Limited, since its incorporation, has operated strictly as a commercial entity and holds no regulatory or allocative authority,” Odeh said.
On crude oil production, NNPC said publicly available data indicated sustained growth in output since April 2025.
According to the company, average crude oil production, including condensates, 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 of approximately 80,000 barrels per day represented six per cent growth in crude oil output.
“These figures are documented in NNPC Limited’s Monthly Performance Report, which is available to the public,” Odeh said.
The company also reported an increase in gas production during the period, with average output rising from 7,354 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) in April 2025 to 7,729mmscfd by April 2026.
The 375mmscfd increase represented five per cent growth, which NNPC said reflected expanding gas production to support domestic energy security and Nigeria’s export commitments.
The company said the gas production figures were also contained in its publicly available Monthly Performance Report.
While reiterating its openness to scrutiny, NNPC said it would take appropriate measures to protect the reputation of the company and its leadership against what it described as false or unsubstantiated claims.
“We encourage industry commentators, analysts, and professional associations to verify information through the appropriate regulatory and corporate channels before publication,” Odeh said.
He added that greater reliance on verified information would help ensure that public commentary remained factual, balanced and constructive, while contributing to informed debate about Nigeria’s energy sector.
