The convener of the Oil & Gas Professionals Forum, Ayodele Momoh, has replied the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, over allegations that oil blocks were awarded to friends and allies of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the state-owned oil firm, Bayo Ojulari.
Momoh, in a statement at the weekend, insisted that at least two oil blocks in the just-concluded licensing round by the NUPRC were awarded to Ojulari’s friends.
The energy professional accused NNPCL of diverting attention from concerns raised over the Marginal Field bid round.
NNPCL, in a statement on Saturday in response to OGPF, had exonerated Ojulari from any wrongdoing while highlighting the firm’s performance under his leadership.
However, in a detailed reply to NNPCL, OGPF accused the oil firm of issuing a misleading and diversionary response to concerns raised over the latest Marginal Field bid round and alleged links involving Ojulari.
The group insisted that of the 31 companies that emerged as winners and the 37 available oil blocks that were subsequently awarded, at least two landed in the hands of Ojulari’s friends.
According to the energy professionals, NNPCL’s defence failed to address questions relating to alleged conflicts of interest, the identities of bid beneficiaries and the performance of the current NNPCL leadership.
According to the group, Ojulari’s wife at NUPRC played a major role in awarding the alleged oil blocks to his cronies.
OGPF further explained that one of the oil block awardees is a beneficiary of Funding and Technical Services Agreements (FTSAs) by NNPCL under Ojulari.
The group noted that NNPCL’s reported 6 percent oil production growth and 5 percent gas production growth between April 2025 and August 2026 fell short of expectations of the leadership.
The forum also challenged what it described as NNPCĽ’s emphasis on production figures, arguing that performance claims did not resolve the accountability and governance issues raised in relation to the bid process.
“The NNPC publication attempts to distract from the substance of OGPF’s concerns by focusing on peripheral matters while failing to directly confront the questions put forward.
“OGPF maintains that the facts remain clear: A wife of Bayo Ojulari played a major role in the bid evaluation process.
“At least two of the marginal field award beneficiaries are close allies of Mr. Ojulari.
“One of the awardees holds the dubious distinction of being the first beneficiary of an FTSA award granted by Mr. Ojulari.
“OGPF rejects any attempt to treat these connections as coincidental. Where relationships and roles intersect in bid evaluation and awards, the outcome raises legitimate questions of conflict of interest and private gain that cannot be wished away through rhetorical framing,” the group said.
“The performance narrative does not answer the accountability question.
“The NNPC publication also pivots into a glossy account of production performance rather than addressing the governance and integrity concerns raised by OGPF.
“If the stated ambition is 3 million barrels within two years, then the current pace — measured by progress of approximately 80,000 barrels — cannot be treated as grounds for celebration,” the forum further stated.
