MARGARET CHIDERA
ABUJA, Nigeria – Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bayo Ojulari, has broken his silence on social media reports that Adegboyega Fasasi and Usman Shugaba, Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Chief Personal Security Officer (CPSO) respectively to President Bola Tinubu accepted a $1.5 million bribe from him to facilitate access to the President.
The NNPCL boss described the report as “false, ludicrous, malicious, and existing only in the imagination of the authors of the gibberish.”
Speaking to select journalists Monday in Abuja, Ojulari said he was “scandalised and at the same time amused by the report” which he said was the handiwork of “those who do not mean well for Nigeria.”
The GCEO said: “My initial reaction when i sighted the report was that of disbelief. Not only are the allegations wicked, wild, and spurious, they were clearly the handiwork of persons who do not mean well for Nigeria.
“It is clear that the authors do not understand what $1.5 million is. It is a calculated smear campaign intended to mislead the public and cast doubt on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s leadership,” he stated.
“It is important to emphasise that the sensational claims attributed to anonymous sources have not been supported by any shred of evidence. As NNPCL GCEO, I, Bayo Ojulari do not need the permission of security details to contact Mr. President, whenever I so desire.”
He continued: “My consolation is that the blog or website that published the fake news has a long history of publishing stories that exist only in their imagination. They are not known for publishing credible reports.”
Asked if he would take legal action on the publishers, Ojulari said he was still speaking with his lawyers.
“I am speaking with my lawyers, and we are exploring the options before us. Clearly, Nigeria is a country with laws. You can’t just go around, hiding under the pillar of freedom of speech, and writing fiction. No! There has to be consequences for such actions,” he said.
