Despite Controversy, Tinubu Gets Applause for Appointing Bayo Ojulari as NNPCL GMD

• The Christian and Muslim Youth Forum (CMYF) has stated its position on President Tinubu’s appointment of Bayo Ojulari as the GMD of the NNPCL
• The group said Ojulari’s appointment shows a commitment to restoring integrity and efficiency in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector
• While urging Tinubu and Nigerians to support Ojulari’s reforms, CMYF vowed to hold the NNPCL boss accountable if he deviates from transparency and service

Abuja, FCT - Despite the controversy that recently rocked the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Christian and Muslim Youth Forum (CMYF) has hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's appointment of Bayo Ojulari, the Group Managing Director, as "strategic and courageous".

The CMYF made this known in a statement released on Sunday, August 10, in Abuja by its conveners, Ustaz Yusuf Ibrahim, and Deacon Sunday Jonathan.

The forum stated that Ojulari's choice shows President Tinubu is committed to restoring integrity and efficiency in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, adding that it is a bold statement that leadership must be entrusted to those with proven competence, courage, and a clean track record.

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"Mr. Ojulari's emergence as GMD reflects a clear departure from the past and a forward-looking approach that prioritises merit, reform, and national interest," the forum said in the statement.

Cleaning up NNPCL a huge task, says CMYF

Speaking further, the forum said that "reforms of the magnitude currently underway in the NNPCL are not just administrative; they are transformative. And as with any true transformation, this change is ambidextrous—it carries both pain and painstaking responsibility.

According to CMYF, Ojulari has taken on a herculean task that demands technical expertise and resilience.

"The NNPCL has, for years, been seen as a symbol of missed opportunities, rent-seeking, and entrenched inefficiencies. Cleaning such a deeply entrenched system is not a walk in the park.

"It requires dismantling old networks of patronage, confronting vested interests, and disrupting long-standing habits of impunity," the statement added.

Referring to the recent controversies that rocked the leadership of the Nigerian state-owned oil company, CMYF said, "the beneficiaries of the old, broken system will not simply step aside without resistance."

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"These forces of retrogression are likely to deploy everything within their means, propaganda, sabotage, and political manipulation, to frustrate and possibly derail the reforms," it said.

NNPCL reforms: Tinubu urged to back Ojulari

The CMYF urged President Tinubu to continue supporting Ojulari, saying that the kind of institutional overhauls that are needed at the NNPCL can only succeed if the leadership at the top is protected from undue interference and equipped with the necessary political backing to act decisively.

The group also urged Nigerians to back the NNPCL boss and his ongoing reforms. Nevertheless, the CMYF said it shall not hesitate to hold Ojulari accountable should he ever deviate from the path of transparency, justice, and service to the people.

"Our support is rooted in principle and guided by our hope for a better Nigeria," the group concluded.

NNPC shares 100 achievements under Ojulari

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Earlier, Legit.ng reported that NNPC released the achievements of Ojulari after his first 100+ days in office.

The company said that under Ojulari’s leadership, there have been improvements in production, cost control, transparency, and clean energy.

The NNPC noted that under his leadership, the company has been able to deepen collaboration with upstream partners, achieving growth in oil and gas production while maintaining 100% pipeline availability.

Source: Legit.ng