The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has come under criticism following revelations of sharp salary increases and allowances for over 6,280 staff.
However, the company insists that its pay structure remains modest compared with global industry benchmarks, stressing that recent adjustments only reflect prevailing economic realities in the country.
NNPC pays its staff from a 30 per cent management fee legalised by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). As of August 2025, the fund totalled N25.3 billion, according to its August presentation made to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Investigations by The Guardian revealed that some of the salary increments were as high as 50 per cent with allowances witnessing sharp increase.
While insiders allege that the salary adjustments were backdated, a senior staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that the Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, increased the salaries to retain and attract top talents.
As of April 2025, NNPCL disclosed that it had 6,280 staff, with men accounting for 80.8 per cent (5,077) and women 19.2 per cent (1,203) of the workforce. With news of salary adjustments, The Guardian gathered that some recently employed staff in some well paying Federal Government agencies had ported to the NNPCL.
In its defence, the company maintained that the pay adjustments were essential to safeguard its competitiveness.
“As a responsible employer, NNPC Limited strives to maintain a competitive salary structure that reflects prevailing realities in the energy industry,” a company source told The Guardian.
“Even with recent adjustments, our compensation remains at the mid-range compared to global oil and gas standards, and we continue to face challenges in attracting and retaining top talent.”
The source further explained that inflationary pressures and multiple currency devaluations over the past two years had compelled management to review pay upwards, warning that without such steps the company risked high staff attrition and operational instability.(guardian)
