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.