The Force For Good Governance (FGG), a socio-political advocacy group, has dismissed reports alleging that the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bayo Ojulari, bribed aides of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to gain access to him.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos and signed by its National Coordinator, Dr. Shedrack Ogbonna, the group described the allegations as “entirely false, fabricated, and a figment of the imagination of those behind them.”
According to FGG, the reports circulating in some media outlets are not only baseless and unsubstantiated but also a calculated attempt to tarnish the reputation of a professional whose contributions to Nigeria’s energy sector remain credible and impactful.
“Mr. Ojulari is a seasoned professional with a longstanding record of integrity, service, and transparency. To suggest that he bribed his way to meet the President is not only malicious, it is laughable,” the statement read.
The group alleged that the smear campaign was the handiwork of detractors “threatened by competence and progress,” stressing that Mr. Ojulari’s dealings with government officials have always followed due process and the national interest.
“These are tactics of shadowy figures who seek to pull down what they cannot control or understand. Let it be clearly understood: there are no hidden waters in this matter,” the group said.
FGG further demanded the immediate retraction of the allegations, warning that those behind them risk legal action.
“We are already consulting with legal experts. Anyone found promoting or distributing these defamatory claims will be held accountable under Nigeria’s cybercrime and defamation laws. The era of fake news going unchallenged is over,” the group warned.
Expressing solidarity with the embattled NNPCL GMD, the group vowed not to remain silent while his name is dragged “through the mud for political convenience or personal vendetta.”
“Enough is enough,” the statement concluded.
ADEOLA KUNLE
