The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is facing mounting criticism after revelations emerged that its recent executive retreat in Kigali, Rwanda involved chartering five private jets flown in for the two-day event.
Sources indicate the jets were chartered to transport top NNPCL officials, including Group CEO Bayo Ojulari and board members.
The private flights were reportedly provided by Abdullahi Bashir Haske, owner of Etihad Oilfield Services, an entity previously blacklisted by NNPC for cost inflation and currently under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for unpaid contractor debts.
Yusuf El-Yakub, an investigative journalist in Abuja, noted that despite the outrage over the incident, Ojulari failed to cancel the private jet arrangement.
He said: “Even more troubling, Haske is said to be the son-in-law of a prominent 2027 presidential aspirant. Nigerians must now ask: Is NNPCL being turned into a tool for political calculations? Is public money being used to fuel private ambitions?
“Rather than driving reform, Bayo Ojulari appears entangled in a web of political loyalty, corporate compromise, and personal connections. The recent resignation of the Chief Corporate Communications Officer speaks volumes. It was no coincidence.
“Insiders confirm it was a principled decision, a protest against Ojulari’s refusal to take hard stances and his insistence on protecting entrenched interests.
“Let us be clear, NNPCL is not working. The corporation is sinking under bloated costs, unpaid contractors, and a leadership that seems more interested in luxury travel and loyalty deals than in transparency and progress.
“Five private jets for a retreat. Provided by a failed contractor under EFCC investigation. Previously blacklisted by NNPC. That is not reform. That is a scandal.”
