The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari, has reportedly been coerced into signing a resignation letter under intense pressure from top federal officials.
According to a report by Peoples Gazette published on Saturday, the alleged incident occurred on Friday and involved Ola Olukoyede, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Adeola Ajayi, Director-General of the State Security Service, SSS. The two were said to have summoned and pressured the NNPCL boss to relinquish his post.
Sources cited by the publication claimed Ojulari was subjected to repeated interrogation over his alleged knowledge of Olatimbo Ayinde, a British-Nigerian oil businesswoman with rising influence in the Tinubu administration.
“Mr Ojulari told us he didn’t know Olatimbo Ayinde,” a source who spoke under condition of anonymity revealed.
As of Saturday afternoon, neither Ojulari nor the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, had responded to multiple inquiries regarding the matter.
This development comes on the heels of heightened concerns within the NNPCL over alleged attempts to undermine its leadership. Only recently, the state-owned oil corporation raised alarms about internal sabotage targeting its executive team.
Ojulari, who was appointed in April 2025 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, replaced former CEO Mele Kyari as part of what was then described as a strategic leadership overhaul.
