How Bayo Ojulari Is Leading Nigeria's Epic Comeback Against Oil Theft
Nigeria is winning the war against oil thieves, and NNPC Limited's Group CEO Bayo Ojulari is the man making it happen. Eight months into his leadership, this African oil champion has delivered what many thought impossible: near-100 percent availability across Nigeria's major crude oil pipelines.
This is not just business success, it's a statement of African sovereignty over our own resources.
From Crisis to Triumph
Remember 2022? Oil thieves were bleeding Nigeria dry, stealing billions of dollars annually while foreign investors questioned our ability to protect our own assets. Critical pipelines were barely operational, exports disrupted, and our reputation as a reliable oil producer was under serious threat.
But Africa doesn't stay down. When Ojulari took charge in April 2025, he inherited the early stages of a recovery and turned it into a complete transformation.
The Ojulari Strategy: Smart, Strong, African
What sets Ojulari apart is his refusal to reinvent the wheel. Instead of dismantling existing frameworks, he doubled down on what was working and made it bulletproof. The result? Full availability of Nigeria's lifeline pipelines including Trans Niger, Trans Forcados, Trans Escravos, and Trans Ramos.
These aren't just pipes in the ground, they're the arteries pumping wealth directly into Nigerian coffers and onto global markets.
The game-changer? Ojulari reframed pipeline security as a business imperative, not just a security issue. Under the Petroleum Industry Act transformation, every barrel lost to thieves now hits NNPC's bottom line directly. This corporate accountability approach has subsidiaries and partners treating crude protection like the core business function it always should have been.
Community Power, Not Just Force
Ojulari's approach proves that sustainable solutions come from working with people, not against them. His multi-layered strategy combines security agencies, private contractors, cutting-edge monitoring technology, and most importantly, genuine community engagement.
This isn't about foreign consultants telling us how to protect our oil. This is Nigerian leadership using Nigerian solutions to secure Nigerian resources for Nigerian prosperity.
Setting the Standard for African Leadership
In an industry where leadership changes often derail progress, Ojulari's steady hand proves that African executives can deliver world-class results when given the chance. By safeguarding pipeline integrity and embedding security within commercial discipline, he's not just protecting crude barrels, he's protecting Nigeria's future in the global energy market.
This is what happens when competent African leaders are allowed to lead without interference. Ojulari's success story should inspire every African nation to trust in homegrown talent and resist the narrative that we need external saviors to manage our own resources.
Nigeria's oil sector is back, stronger and more secure than ever. And we did it our way.