By Charles Abakpa

‎There are times when the choice of a leader matters as much as the institution itself. This is particularly true in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, where decisions taken by regulators can affect production, investment, government revenue and the wider economy. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan’s leadership of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) is beginning to show what years of experience within the industry can bring to a critical national institution.
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‎Her emergence as the Chief Executive Officer of NUPRC can aptly be described as the return of the natives. This is because Eyesan has spent more than three decades working within Nigeria’s petroleum industry. She understands the system, its history, its challenges and, importantly, the expectations of operators and investors. She is therefore not learning the industry from the outside; she has been part of its growth and transformation for years.
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‎Eyesan studied Economics at the University of Benin and joined the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 1992. From her early days as a material traffic officer, she moved through planning, commercial and executive responsibilities before becoming Executive Vice President, Upstream, at NNPC Limited. Her rise through the system is a reflection of experience gained over many years.
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‎That experience is now being brought to bear at the NUPRC, which has a major responsibility for regulating upstream petroleum operations in Nigeria. The commission oversees licensing, field development, technical compliance and other activities that determine how the country’s oil and gas resources are developed.
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‎One of the clearest indications of her approach is the transparent conduct of the 2025 oil and gas licensing round, where 31 companies have emerged successful for 37 oil and gas blocks, following the submission of 200 bids by 143 companies.
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‎The spread of interest in the blocks was equally significant. Bids were received for assets in established petroleum producing areas as well as frontier basins such as the Benue Trough, Chad Basin, Anambra Basin and Benin Basin. It showed that there is still considerable interest in Nigeria’s petroleum resources when investors have confidence in the rules and the process for allocating assets.
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‎Eyesan’s insistence on financial discipline is another important aspect of the licensing exercise. Winning a block, under the new approach, should not be the end of the process. Successful companies are expected to meet their financial obligations and demonstrate the capacity to develop the assets. The application of the “drill or drop” principle also discourages the practice of sitting on acreage without meaningful activity.
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‎Again, her experience in commercial negotiations has also prepared her for the responsibilities of the NUPRC. Before her present position, Eyesan was involved in major industry transactions, including Nigeria’s first natural gas liquids commercialisation and the renewal of deepwater production-sharing contracts. These were complex arrangements with significant implications for investment and production in the country.
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‎What appears to be driving her current agenda is straightforward: increase production, reduce losses and make the regulatory process work faster. Eyesan has identified shut-in production, declining output and delays in bringing projects on stream as areas that require urgent attention. Rather than waiting only for new discoveries, her strategy includes bringing economically viable existing assets back into production.
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‎She is also placing considerable emphasis on making regulation more predictable. The planned publication of service level agreements for major approvals, digital workflows for permits and reporting, and clearer timelines for regulatory decisions are aimed at reducing unnecessary delays. In an industry where delays can cost companies millions of dollars, faster and more predictable regulation can make a significant difference.
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‎Her engagement with industry operators is another part of the strategy. Through the CCE–Operators Leadership Forum, the commission is creating a regular channel for discussing production restoration, approval timelines, infrastructure integrity, gas development and other pressing issues. Eyesan has also stressed the importance of proper hydrocarbon accounting, with a clear message that every barrel produced should be properly accounted for.
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‎The 90-day programme introduced by the NUPRC under her watch is particularly important because it focuses on opportunities that can deliver results without unnecessary delay. Under the program, Field development plans that are near completion, well interventions, rig mobilisation and other quick win projects are being given attention. For a country working towards higher production levels, getting such projects moving can provide immediate gains.
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‎Most importantly, Eyesan’s agenda is not limited to crude oil. She has always spoken about safety, host community benefits, governance, data integrity and responsible operations. Her approach suggests that increasing production must go hand in hand with improving the systems through which the industry operates.
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‎There is also something significant about the emergence of Eyesan, another Nigerian woman at the centre of such an important national assignment. For decades, Nigerian women have shown that they can lead complex institutions and deliver results at home and internationally. Eyesan belongs to that tradition. Her performance inevitably brings to mind women such as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, whose career has demonstrated the capacity of Nigerian women to compete and excel at the highest levels.
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‎Of course, Eyesan has inherited an industry facing serious problems. Production has been constrained by insecurity, pipeline vandalism, ageing infrastructure, underinvestment and other longstanding challenges. But having someone with extensive institutional knowledge, commercial experience and a clear understanding of the upstream business gives the NUPRC a stronger hand in tackling these problems. Her presence has already been felt.
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‎Her performance so far suggests that the return of the natives may indeed be good news for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Abakpa wrote this piece from Owukpa, Benue State.

By Peter Okilo
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‎In Nigeria’s petroleum industry, leadership is rarely judged by words alone. It is measured by the ability to make difficult decisions, manage enormous responsibilities, navigate complex interests and, above all, deliver results.
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By that standard, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, the current Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has built a career that makes him a deserving choice for the Blueprint Award of the Year.
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‎His recognition by Blueprint Newspapers as a 2025 Outstanding Personality and recipient of the Corporate Leadership Award is therefore more than a celebration. It is a recognition of a professional journey built on experience, competence, strategic thinking and achievements.
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‎Ojulari did not arrive at the top of Nigeria’s oil industry by accident. A mechanical engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he began his professional journey in 1989 as a Fields and Process Engineer with Elf Petroleum Nigeria. He subsequently joined Shell, where he spent more than two decades occupying increasingly senior positions across Nigeria, Europe and the Middle East.
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‎That breadth of experience is particularly significant in an industry as technically demanding and capital-intensive as oil and gas. Decisions involving production, investments, assets and commercial agreements can have consequences running into billions of dollars. Over the course of his career, Ojulari has gained experience in several critical areas of the industry, including exploration, production, asset development, strategic planning, economics, investment evaluation, commercial negotiations, and asset acquisition and divestment.
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‎More importantly, however, his record shows that he did not merely occupy senior positions; he used those positions to deliver results.
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‎Perhaps the strongest evidence of this was his tenure as Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company between 2015 and 2021. At the time, he was responsible for deep-water assets with production capacity of about 320,000 barrels per day and an annual operating cost of approximately $1 billion.
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‎Under his leadership, production reportedly increased by 20 percent, while operating costs fell by 30 percent and capital project costs were reduced by 40 percent. These figures represent the kind of efficiency, discipline and value creation expected of effective leadership. The performance of the Bonga Asset, which earned the prestigious “Asset of the Year” award in 2016, further demonstrated the strength of the management approach under his watch.
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‎Beyond production and operational efficiency, Ojulari also distinguished himself through his ability to navigate the complex commercial environment surrounding Nigeria’s petroleum assets. His role in negotiating production, sharing contracts and dispute resolution agreements relating to OML-118 helped underpin major growth projects valued at between $6 billion and $8 billion. Such responsibilities require technical knowledge, sound judgment, negotiating ability and a clear understanding of the wider economic implications of investment decisions.
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‎It is this combination of technical competence and strategic leadership that makes his current responsibility at NNPCL particularly important.
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‎Nigeria needs an oil and gas industry capable of producing efficiently, attracting investment, reducing waste and delivering greater value to the national economy. At the same time, the sector continues to face persistent challenges, including crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, declining investment in some areas and the need to position the industry for a changing global energy landscape.
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‎Leading NNPCL in such an environment requires considerably more than administrative competence. It requires someone who understands the technical details of the business while also appreciating its commercial, strategic and national dimensions. Ojulari brings that combination to the job.
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‎His career has taken him from the field to corporate strategy, from production management to asset development, and from national responsibilities to international assignments. His experience as Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Planner at Shell’s headquarters in the Netherlands and as an Asset Leader in Oman exposed him to different operating environments, international standards and diverse approaches to managing energy assets.
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‎His subsequent roles further strengthened his understanding of corporate leadership beyond traditional oil production. As Board Chairman of BAT Advisory and Energy Company Nigeria Limited, he provided executive-level business and technical advisory services, including involvement in a major acquisition valued at more than $2 billion. His association with organisations such as ND Western Limited, Trewan Energy Limited and Renaissance Africa Energy Company also broadened his experience in Nigeria’s evolving energy landscape.
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‎Taken together, these experiences explain why the Blueprint recognition should be viewed in the context of the entire journey, rather than simply an award to a sitting chief executive.
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‎Ojulari represents a generation of Nigerian professionals who have acquired international experience and are now being called upon to apply that knowledge to national institutions. His appointment to lead NNPCL places that experience at the service of one of the most strategically important organisations in the country.
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‎There is also a broader lesson in his story. For many years, Nigeria has talked about the need for professionalism, accountability, efficiency and value creation in its critical institutions. Ojulari’s career provides a practical example of professional progression and performance-driven leadership. He rose through technical and managerial responsibilities, accumulated experience across different jurisdictions and areas of the industry, and ultimately emerged as the leader of Nigeria’s national oil company.
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‎That journey matters because leadership at the top of a national institution is not created overnight. It is built through years of exposure, responsibility, successes, challenges and the ability to learn from each assignment. In Ojulari’s case, the journey from engineering and field operations to strategic management and corporate leadership has provided a foundation directly relevant to the enormous responsibility he now carries.
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‎The Blueprint Award of the Year is therefore deserved not merely because Ojulari occupies one of the most influential offices in the Nigerian business environment, but because his career provides a credible basis for the recognition.
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‎Awards are most meaningful when they recognise achievements rather than titles. In Ojulari’s case, the record includes improved production, reduced operating costs, lower capital expenditure, successful commercial negotiations, management of major assets and decades of experience navigating one of the world’s most demanding industries.
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‎As GCEO of NNPCL, the expectations are naturally even higher. Nigerians expect the company to strengthen energy security, maximise the value of the country’s petroleum resources, improve operational efficiency and contribute more significantly to economic development. These expectations come at a time when the industry is undergoing profound changes, making experienced and capable leadership more important than ever.
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‎The challenges ahead are formidable, but so is the experience Ojulari brings to the assignment.
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‎Blueprint Newspapers is therefore justified in celebrating Bashir Bayo Ojulari as an Outstanding Personality and Corporate Leadership Award recipient. His story is not simply that of a man who reached the pinnacle of the petroleum industry. It is the story of a professional who spent decades acquiring the technical knowledge, managerial experience and strategic capacity required to lead at the highest level.
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‎Ultimately, the strongest argument for Ojulari’s recognition is found not in the office he occupies, but in the record he has built over the years. His career demonstrates that effective leadership is about turning experience into results, responsibility into performance and opportunity into value.
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‎In an industry where performance must ultimately speak louder than promises, Ojulari’s record speaks for itself.
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‎And that is precisely why he deserves the Blueprint Award of the Year.

Okilo PhD wrote this piece from Abuja.

Hon. Hafiz Kawu, Honourable Commissioner at PENCOM, has urged APC supporters and faithfuls in Kano State to rally behind the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. Speaking live during a radio program in Kano, Hon. Kawu OON, MNI delivered a compelling message of reconciliation and renewed commitment to the ruling party’s vision for development.

In his remarks, Hon. Kawu emphasized the importance of President Tinubu’s administration to Kano’s progress, pointing to several landmark projects that have reshaped the state’s infrastructure and economic outlook. He cited the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway reconstruction and the dualization of the Kano–Kongolom Road as evidence of federal commitment to easing transportation and boosting trade. He also highlighted the modernization of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and the approval of the Kano Light Rail project as transformative investments in transportation.

Hon. Kawu further pointed to the AKK Gas Pipeline as a strategic investment that will power industries, create jobs, and strengthen Kano’s role as a commercial hub. He noted that the appointments of Kano indigenes into key federal positions demonstrate the President’s recognition of Kano’s strategic importance in national politics.

Turning to state-level initiatives, Hon. Kawu praised Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s urban renewal and rural connectivity projects, including the construction of the Dan Agundi Interchange, the Tal’udu Cloverleaf Overpass, and the revival of 5KM roads across 44 local governments. He described these projects as complementary to federal efforts, ensuring that both urban and rural communities benefit from development.

Addressing internal party divisions, Hon. Kawu noted: “This is the time to set aside differences and return to the fold. The projects we see today are only the beginning of greater things to come under APC leadership. Unity is the key to victory, and victory is the key to sustaining development.”

His live radio broadcast blended detailed references to federal achievements under President Tinubu with state-level initiatives under Governor Yusuf, leaving listeners with a clear message: Kano’s future is tied to APC’s success, and every supporter has a role to play in securing that future.

As the broadcast concluded, Hon. Kawu emphasized that cohesion across the APC structure remains the decisive factor in the political contest ahead. He stressed that only a united APC — working seamlessly from the grassroots to the national stage — can secure victories across all levels of governance and sustain the momentum of development. His words positioned unity not as a plea, but as a strategic imperative for the party’s continued dominance and for the progress of Kano and Nigeria at large.