Under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), led by a new Group Chief Executive Officer appointed on 2 April of this year, huge targets are being set that will gladden hearts for the foreseeable future, so what exactly has Mr. Bashir Ojulari been thinking about with regards to making all of these happen quickly?

Two days ago, a town hall meeting with company staff in Abuja was the venue. There, Mr Ojulari broke down what his vision entailed. It is a deliberately curated NNPC that’ll be the Pride of Nigerians, one which, through revamped leadership, is expected to drive in a total of $90 billion in just 7 years of the new era just starting.

Before the latest group chief executive officer assumed office, it was the 60-year-old geologist Mallam Mele Kyari who had occupied the post for almost six years.

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Under this predecessor, there was the launching of the NNPC Limited production monitoring command centre (PMCC) on Christmas Eve of 2025, to organise the company’s output effectively and now, the baton he has handed over is heading farther into the depths of success, it seems.

While presenting at the town hall engagement, Bashir Ojulayi reportedly told all who were present that we stand at the gateway of a new era—one that demands courage, professionalism, and a relentless drive for excellence.

He acknowledged that the task before us is great, yet it offers a greater opportunity to redefine Nigeria’s energy future. Now is the time to turn our transformation promise into performance, he adds.

According to the NNPCL’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, thousands of staff had listened to the leader as he aimed to attract sectoral investments worth $30 billion by 2027 and then $60 billion three years after.

Within the time range, crude oil production which stood at 1.60 million barrels per day (mbpd) in March 2025, compared with 1.68 mbpd the previous month wants rise to over 2 million barrels per day all through 2027, afterwards attaining 3 million output by 2030, and simultaneously widening refining output to 200kbpd and 500kbpd during the course.

These are some of the differences that would be seen when juxtaposing the eras of both the old and new Group Chief Executive Officer.

Since gas is fast becoming a vital energy source for households and industries, there is a target to grow production to 10 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day by 2027, and 12 bcf by 2030, for higher access and normalising content to become very affordable for the Nigerian populace.

A press statement by the chief communications officer on Thursday, 17 April, the day the town hall was held, captured all the goals as a bunch.

It is a fact that all the lofty targets that were set – like reconfiguring NNPCL’s business structure for agility and value creation; conducting independent value assessments to inform data-driven decisions; enforcing a robust performance management framework; building transparent, value-aligned partnerships with all stakeholders and most critically, taking control of its narrative – all these can only be achieved if the staff are fully on board, so two days ago in Abuja with Mr. Ojulari offered a prep talk moment marked with a charge insisting that it’s time we tell our story—one of innovation, reform, and national pride.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, although state-owned, is now just like any other privately-managed organisation with no particular extra edge, and it is for this reason that its new group chief executive officer wants to rapidly raise the bar to outwit the competitors.

Already, the 650-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery, commissioned in May 2023, is outmanoeuvring the NNPCL in the downstream oil market with its slightly cheaper premium motor spirit, so how will the latter, though a pioneer, keep up?

We recognise that our greatest asset is our people, says Mr. Bashir Ojulari from the southwest of Nigeria, who thinks that success will be powered by empowered employees. As such, we are fully committed to creating a workplace where everyone is valued, motivated, and inspired to thrive.

Together, we will build a high-performing, globally competitive NNPC Ltd that is proudly Nigerian and proudly world-class.

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Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.