The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has raised an alarm over what it described as a “coordinated sabotage campaign” targeted at its leadership.
In a statement released on Friday, the company said the campaign is being orchestrated by “a syndicate of known and faceless actors, both outside and within various levels of the organisation.”
“These actors are actively spreading lies and misinformation simply to discredit NNPC Ltd.’s leadership and derail the organisation’s ongoing transformation into a corruption-free, performance-driven energy company, in line with the mandate of His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement read.
According to NNPC Ltd., the saboteurs are planting “scandalous and fabricated reports, curated to distract leadership, mislead the public, and undermine the commitment of our dedicated workforce and reform-minded Nigerians.”
“These are calculated efforts by those who feel threatened by reform, transparency, accountability, and change clear evidence of the lengths to which they will go to obstruct the transformation of Nigeria’s foremost energy institution,” the company said.
The statement warned that Nigerians should expect a spike in defamatory publications in the coming days but insisted that the company would not be distracted.
“We expect a surge of defamatory content in the days and weeks ahead. NNPC Ltd. remains undeterred. The transformation is underway, and no amount of sabotage will stop it,” it said.
The management also urged staff, stakeholders and Nigerians to stay focused.
“We urge our dedicated staff, stakeholders, and all patriotic Nigerians to stay focused, ignore the noise and not be discouraged. We remain on mission.”
The statement comes amid increased scrutiny of the company’s operations.
Just days ago, the Senate Committee on public accounts issued a 10-day ultimatum to NNPC to explain financial discrepancies totalling N200 trillion flagged in the 2017 to 2021 audit reports by the office of the auditor-general of the Federation.
According to the committee, NNPC failed to respond to at least 31 audit queries over a five-year period, prompting fresh concerns about financial accountability within the oil giant.
While NNPC’s statement did not directly address the Senate’s probe, it is believed that the ongoing pressure from lawmakers and the media may be part of what the company described as a broader sabotage attempt.
President Bola Tinubu has repeatedly called for reforms in the oil and gas sector, with NNPC Ltd. positioned as the flagship institution for driving transparency and efficiency in Nigeria’s energy industry.
