The Yoruba Initiative has expressed ‘grave concern’ at the controversy which has trailed last month’s appointment of Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Limited (NNPCL).
Although the Nigerian engineer and expert in petroleum, process and production engineering is an indigene of Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, which is in the North Central region, some elites from the North had queried whether he is “northern enough” to be in charge of the nation’s foremost oil institution.
Ojulari’s competence has not been questioned. He was educated at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1989. In January 2024, he joined Renaissance African Energy Company as Executive Vice-President/Chief Operating Officer and led a consortium of local energy companies in a $2.4 billion Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria acquisition deal. From 2015 to 2021, he was Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company.
In a statement on Sunday, the General Secretary of The Yoruba Initiative, Femi Adefemiwa said: ‘This ethnic second-guessing of a federal appointment is a dangerous indictment of the imbalanced federalism Nigeria continues to practice. That Ojulari felt compelled to go on BBC Hausa to affirm his “northern credentials” rather than focus on national priorities is deeply troubling. It reflects a culture where national institutions are viewed as regional preserves, rather than the collective property of all Nigerians’.
The statement further said: ‘Despite his undisputed qualifications, technocratic expertise, and lifelong ties to Northern Nigeria—including being born and raised in the region and educated at Ahmadu Bello University—Ojulari’s appointment has come under tribal scrutiny by sections of the northern elite who question whether he is “northern enough” to lead the nation’s foremost oil institution.
‘In the past decade alone, the leadership of NNPC has been monopolized by individuals from the North:
•Joseph Thlama Dawha (Borno State): 2014–2015
•Maikanti Baru (Bauchi State): 2016–2019
•Mele Kyari (Borno State): 2019–2025
‘The reaction to Engr. Ojulari’s appointment — despite his northern upbringing — suggests that even the slightest perception of regional balance is unacceptable to certain interests. This is a grave affront to national unity and meritocracy.
‘The Yoruba Initiative categorically states that national institutions like the NNPC must not be reduced to the political estates of any tribe or region. It is unacceptable that a Nigerian technocrat is forced to pledge loyalty to a region before assuming office in a federal role. Such actions diminish the legitimacy of our constitutional order and erode public confidence in the integrity of national appointments.
‘Let us be clear: if every geopolitical zone were to adopt a similar mindset — claiming exclusive ownership of institutions or sectors located within their domain — Nigeria would quickly unravel.
‘We call on all Nigerians—especially those in leadership—to resist the urge to ethnicize every federal appointment. No region has a monopoly on competence. The idea that a post once held by one part of the country must forever remain with that region is not only parochial; it is an existential threat to Nigeria’s future.
‘Engr. Ojulari’s appointment should signal a long-overdue rebalancing of representation in our critical sectors. Instead, the response has exposed entrenched biases that must be dismantled if Nigeria is ever to function as a true federation.
‘The Yoruba Initiative affirms its support for equity, merit, and inclusivity in the governance of our national institutions. The federal character principle must not be applied selectively. We reject the notion of ethnic gatekeeping in national affairs and urge the Presidency and all Nigerians to stand firm in upholding the values of unity in diversity.
‘Nigeria belongs to all of us. It’s time we began to act like it’.
