NNPC alleges ‘Coordinated Sabotage’ plot to undermine ongoing reforms

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) says it has uncovered a “coordinated sabotage campaign” by a network of internal and external actors intent on discrediting the company’s leadership and derailing its reform drive.

In a statement released on Thursday and signed by the management, the national oil company claimed a “syndicate of known and faceless actors, both outside and within various levels of the organisation,” is spreading “lies and misinformation” to thwart NNPC’s transformation into a corruption-free, performance-driven energy firm.

“These are calculated efforts by those who feel threatened by reform, transparency, accountability and change,” the statement read, warning that defamatory content targeting senior officials could intensify in the coming weeks.

According to NNPC, the alleged saboteurs have been “planting scandalous and fabricated reports” designed to distract the executive team, mislead the public and weaken staff morale. The company did not identify specific individuals or groups but described the campaign as a direct attempt to obstruct President Bola Tinubu’s mandate to overhaul the state-owned energy giant.

NNPC has been undergoing sweeping changes since it became a Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA)–registered limited liability company in 2021 under the Petroleum Industry Act. The restructuring accelerated in 2023 and 2024, with management pledging greater transparency, profit-oriented operations and a clean-up of legacy debts and opaque trading practices.

Industry analysts say pushing through those reforms has unsettled entrenched interests in the crude-for-fuel swap market, pipeline security contracts and product marketing chain—areas historically prone to graft and rent seeking.

Despite anticipating what it called an “emerging smear campaign,” NNPC’s management said it “remains undeterred,” urging employees, stakeholders and “all patriotic Nigerians” to ignore the “noise” and stay focused on transforming “Nigeria’s foremost energy institution.”

The statement did not disclose whether the company plans legal action against the alleged saboteurs. Efforts to reach NNPC officials for additional comment were unsuccessful at press time.

Internal probe: NNPC is expected to step up internal security checks and communications to shield staff from disinformation.

Public scrutiny: With reforms gaining pace, civil society groups are likely to watch how the company substantiates—or fails to substantiate—its sabotage claims.

Legislative interest: The Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) has lately signalled interest in greater oversight of NNPC’s commercial operations, which could bring the allegations into sharper relief on the national stage.

For now, NNPC insists the transformation is irreversible: “No amount of sabotage will stop it,” the statement concluded.