Nigerians have heavily criticized the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) under the leadership of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, over the continued shutdown of the country’s refineries despite the injection of billions of naira into their rehabilitation.
The outrage follows the release of NNPC’s 100-day performance report marking Ojulari’s time at the helm since his appointment by President Bola Tinubu on April 2, 2025. While the company boasted of achieving major milestones and laying a new foundation for energy transformation, many Nigerians were not impressed.
Across social media and public commentary, citizens described the report as cosmetic and lacking accountability, particularly over the status of refineries that remain dormant despite extensive funding.
Ojulari’s report card listed ambitious targets, including increasing oil production to 2 million barrels per day by 2027, expanding refining capacity to 200,000 barrels daily, and attracting $30 billion in investment by 2030. Yet, critics argue these goals ring hollow when current realities show no improvement in refining capacity or fuel affordability.
Hashtags like #NNPC100Days trended briefly online as Nigerians vented their frustration.
A public affairs analyst, Akin Ajagbe, questioned the credibility of the scorecard. “Where are our refineries? What happened after spending billions to repair them? Ojulari talks of milestones, but the Senate is investigating N210 trillion unaccounted for. How do you celebrate that?” he asked.
Another citizen, Adamu Kure, lamented, “NNPC is celebrating 100 days with a glossy report, but Nigerians are still buying fuel at N910 per litre. The refineries are lifeless, and we’re still importing petrol. This is PR, not real progress.”
Chael Nonso added, “If NNPC is truly a government company, its fuel should be cheaper than Dangote’s. Help the poor by reducing pump prices. Do the needful.”
Other voices echoed similar sentiments. Babale Karl noted, “Warri Refinery has been shut since January 2025, and Port Harcourt is operating below 40% capacity. Billions were spent with no results. What exactly has Ojulari achieved?”
“NNPC remains a fraud syndicate. We didn’t expect magic, but we expected truth,” said Simi Coker, describing the report as “a political document, not a performance audit.”
Still, some offered a more tempered perspective. Olayinka Sanni said, “This looks more like a document outlining reform efforts. It’s a decent 100-day effort report, but real performance must be backed by measurable impact.”
The controversy underscores a growing disconnect between NNPC Ltd’s public relations messaging and citizens’ lived experiences amid Nigeria’s persistent fuel crisis and economic hardship.
