How Nigerians react to NNPC chief’s 100 days in office

The recent 100 days in office scorecard of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, on significant milestones and a commitment to transforming Nigeria’s energy sector, has met mixed reactions from Nigerians.

NNPC Ltd on July 23, 2025 released a statement detailing what it described as “key milestones” under Ojulari’s leadership

The company highlighted achievements such as strategic reviews of its refinery operations, a reduction in petrol prices to N910 per litre in Abuja, and efforts to bolster Africa’s refining ecosystem through partnerships and investments, including equity stakes in the Dangote Refinery.

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The statement, shared via NNPC’s official X handle (@nnpclimited), emphasized Ojulari’s “steadfast commitment and forward movement” in repositioning the company to meet Nigeria’s energy demands and reduce reliance on imported refined products.

Ojulari, appointed by President Bola Tinubu on April 2, 2025, following a major board overhaul, was tasked with revitalizing the state-owned oil company amid longstanding issues of inefficiency, corruption allegations, and financial strain.

The company’s report card pointed to ambitious targets, including raising oil production to two million barrels per day by 2027, increasing refining capacity to 200,000 barrels per day by the same year, and attracting $30 billion in investments by 2030.

Additionally, Ojulari’s keynote address at the Global Commodity Insights Conference in Abuja underscored his vision for a self-sufficient African refining hub, calling for regional cooperation and indigenous ownership.

Reacting to the glowing score card, Nigerians on social media platform X, argued that the achievements fallshort in comparison to the company’s persistent challenges and unaddressed controversies.

The reactions further highlight a growing disconnect between NNPC’s self-reported progress and public perception of its performance. They added that NNPC Ltd is glossing over systemic issues while celebrating superficial achievements.

The hashtag #NNPC100Days trended briefly, with users questioning the credibility of the reported milestones and pointing to ongoing challenges such as fuel scarcity, high production costs, and allegations of financial mismanagement.

One user, @EnergyWatchNG, posted: “NNPC is celebrating 100 days of Ojulari with a fancy scorecard, but Nigerians are still queuing for fuel at N910/litre. Where is the energy security they promised? Refineries are still comatose, and we’re importing petrol. This is PR, not progress.”

Similarly, @ChaelNonso write: “Reduce NNPC petroleum price to be cheaper than that of Dangote and help the more masses of Nigerian citizens. A Government owned oil firm that is number one in the country should be cheapest in all, do the needful please”.

The sentiment was echoed by @LagosAnalyst, who wrote: “Ojulari’s NNPC claims ‘milestones,’ but the Senate is probing N210 trillion unaccounted for. How do you celebrate when you can’t explain missing funds.”

@Justine_ wrote: “Senate fumes over NNPCL CEO Ojulari’s 4th consecutive no-show. Is this disregard for legislative oversight undermining his transparency & governance claims?”

@Karl wrote: “NNPCL’s refinery rehab claims Vs reality: Warri Refinery shut down since Jan 2025 & Port Harcourt Refinery operates at less than <40% capacity. Billions of naira invested with no tangible outcomes. Effectiveness of Ojulari’s leadership in question”.

@Melebroz1 wrote: “NNPC is a cartel of fraudsters but can anything new be expected from this new leadership?

@Director_Ohi Wrote: “Vague ambitions wrapped in corporate lingo. No hard KPIs or quantifiable targets met. This isn’t a scorecard of achievement, it’s a status report with hope sprinkled in. A political document, not a performance audit”.

@OlayinkaSanni wrote: “Performance is measured in quantitative terms against defined metrics.This seems like a report card of efforts on a system’s reformatting. Good enough for a 100-day work but I’ll rather wait for one year by which time the fruits of your effort would be ripe for harvesting”.

@Othkada wrote: “NNPCL’s ambitious production targets: 2 million bpd by 2027, 3 million by 2030. Yet, Ojulari’s 2-month progress shows modest 1.5m to 1.7m bpd increase. Can they hit their targets?

@BasseyDoesIt wrote: “How will you come up with such an article to the public space without evidence we are not babies. Don’t get me wrong show us prove”.