The Oil & Gas Professionals Forum (OGPF) has renewed its allegations of possible conflicts of interest in the recently concluded marginal field licensing round, accusing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) of failing to adequately address concerns surrounding the process.
The forum’s convener, Ayodele Momoh, made the allegations in a statement issued at the weekend in response to NNPCL’s earlier defence of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari.
NNPCL had dismissed allegations of wrongdoing involving Ojulari while pointing to increases in crude oil and gas production under his leadership.
However, OGPF rejected the response, describing it as an attempt to divert attention from questions raised about the licensing process and alleged relationships between Ojulari and some beneficiaries.
The group maintained that at least two of the 31 companies that emerged as winners in the licensing exercise, which involved 37 oil blocks, were linked to people it described as close associates of Ojulari.
It also alleged that Ojulari’s wife, who works with the NUPRC, played a significant role in the evaluation process for the bids.
According to the forum, one of the companies that secured an oil block was also a beneficiary of a Funding and Technical Services Agreement (FTSA) awarded by NNPCL during Ojulari’s tenure.
OGPF argued that NNPCL’s response did not directly address its concerns about potential conflicts of interest, the identities of successful bidders or the transparency of the award 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 forum said.
The group also disputed NNPCL’s emphasis on increases in oil and gas production as evidence of improved performance under the current leadership.
NNPCL had reported a six per cent increase in crude oil production and a five per cent rise in gas production between April 2025 and April 2026.
OGPF argued that production growth alone did not resolve the governance and accountability questions surrounding the licensing process.
“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,” the forum said.
It further questioned whether the reported production increase was sufficient in view of NNPCL’s stated target of reaching three million barrels per day within two years.
“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,” OGPF stated.
The latest response is likely to deepen the disagreement between the industry group and NNPCL over the transparency of the licensing process and the performance of the state-owned oil company.
