President Bola Tinubu is not happy with the recent activities of Bashir Bayo Ojulari, the Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
And because of this, he may be removed from his position barely four months into the job.
According to The Cable, Ojulari is being investigated over financial dealings involving millions of dollars reportedly transferred to AA&R Investment Group, a company linked to Abdullahi Bashir-Haske, the son-in-law of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The company operates in sectors like oil, agriculture, ICT, and logistics.
Sources said some of these transactions were flagged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which has also questioned Bashir-Haske over suspected large-scale money laundering.
There are growing concerns that funds may have been funneled indirectly to the opposition through these deals.
Ojulari had previously worked in the oil sector as the managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and later as chairman of BAT Advisory & Energy, a firm that advised on the $2 billion acquisition of Shell Petroleum Development Company assets.
After becoming NNPC boss in April, he reportedly restored privileges to Bashir-Haske that were cut off during the tenure of his predecessor, Mele Kyari.
Kyari, who had taken over from Maikanti Baru, had sidelined Bashir-Haske from NNPC dealings.
Baru, who was said to have favoured Bashir-Haske’s firm during his time, died in 2020.
With these developments, insiders said Tinubu feels betrayed and may soon approve Ojulari’s sack.
Although a quiet exit plan is being considered to avoid public embarrassment due to the short time he has spent in office.
