Bashir Bayo Ojulari did not so much climb the ladder of Nigeria’s oil and gas cosmos as he became a silent axis upon which it began to turn more nobly. Long before the applause, before the title of Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) was pasted beside his name, Ojulari had already written his greatness in quiet lines, on rigs, in boardrooms, through nights spent solving crises without fanfare, through days devoted to lifting others without waiting to be thanked.
Now at 60, he is not merely a man marking time; he is a flame that has burned steadily, illuminating dark corners of the petroleum sector where others faltered. His rise is not a coincidence of timing or privilege. It is the graceful consequence of mastery meeting character, of preparation meeting destiny. In Ojulari, Nigeria experiences what is possible when competence is worn with grace, and patriotism flows not from a flag pinned to a lapel, but from a life poured into service.
Titans arrive on the stage of history with neither noise nor fanfare, yet the ground remembers the weight of their step, the wind whispers their names in reverence, and the world, stirred by their presence, pauses to honour the poetry of their lives. Engr. Ojulari, the GCEO of the NNPCL, is one such man. In his sixth decade, Ojulari does not merely arrive at a milestone; he stands at a summit of meaning, as proof that excellence, when paired with compassion, can move nations forward. He is certainly not a man of theatrics. His leadership isn’t asserted through press conferences, but rather through systems quietly rebuilt, trust steadily regained, and a national institution restored to its character.
Today, as Nigeria reflects on its journey, we do not simply count Ojulari’s years; we count his impact. And it spills far beyond spreadsheets and oil barrels into the sacred terrain of public trust, corporate revival, and human dignity. ‘Sixty’ is a number swathed in wisdom, experience, and the scars of triumph. For Engineer Ojulari, it is not the passage of time that lends this milestone its glory, but the depth of legacy he carries upon his shoulders; this legacy was neither sculpted in boastful monuments nor hollow achievements, but in the footsure machinery of oilfields, boardrooms, dusty towns, and quiet gestures of kindness.
Appointed as the GCEO of NNPCL by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he arrived at a time when the company stood at a trembling crossroads, a landscape littered with broken trust, public fatigue, and reputational bruises. For decades, the NNPCL had become, to many Nigerians, a riddle in administrative opacity, a bureaucratic leviathan suspended from the people it was meant to serve. The task before Ojulari was colossal: to lead a renaissance of the nation’s most strategic corporation, to recover barrels of oil and rebuild reservoirs of national confidence.
Yet those who truly know Ojulari understood what that appointment meant. This was not a man imported to learn the ropes; he had woven the ropes, pulled them, and secured entire vessels with them. A graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, his career bears the markings of excellence across continents, from Elf Aquitaine to Shell, from Nigeria’s rich deltas to Europe’s sophisticated platforms and the sands of the Middle East. Wherever oil pulsed beneath the earth, Ojulari brought it to life with science, strategy, and soul.
His crowning moment before the NNPCL appointment was the orchestration of Renaissance Africa Energy’s bold acquisition of Shell’s onshore assets in Nigeria, a $2.4 billion transaction executed with precision and foresight. This was not just a business deal; it was a reclaiming of indigenous dignity in a sector long dominated by foreign interests. Ojulari stood at the helm of that reclamation, not for glory, but for Nigeria.
Yet behind this executive might is a man of rare tenderness. Ask those who have worked beside him. They speak of his brilliance and relentless empathy. He remembers names, birthdays, and family troubles. He listens; not the polite listening of corporate meetings, but the kind that makes you feel heard, seen, valued. He uplifts not for show, but from instinct. His generosity does not require cameras; it flows as naturally as breathing.
Within NNPCL, he has already begun the quiet work of transformation. Not with loud pronouncements or flamboyant claims, but with strategic overhauls, refined leadership, and the humility to engage, understand, and unify. He understands that NNPCL must become more than a custodian of crude; it must be a living symbol of Nigerian capability, reliability, and innovation. It must speak with a human voice, move with transparency, and act with urgency.
The road ahead is steep. Fuel scarcity, pipeline vandalism, underinvestment, international volatility, and the lingering fog of past mismanagement loom large. But if ever there was a man sculpted by time, tested by fire, and seasoned for such a moment, it is Bashir Bayo Ojulari. His vision does not begin at the derricks and end at export terminals. It stretches into energy equity, sustainable innovation, and restoring public trust. He is not just running a company; he is midwifing a new narrative, one where NNPCL stops being a burden and manifests as a blessing.
Nigeria, today, should honour Ojulari, not only as an executive marking his 60th chapter, but as a symbol of what is possible when competence meets character. The oil and gas sector may salute him, for he has lifted their image. The business circuit may acknowledge him, for he is an emblem of strategic brilliance anchored in ethical clarity. And we, who have had the rare joy of knowing him, must rise to say thank you for his wisdom, warmth, and willingness to bear the weight of redeeming the NNPCL, with calm and courage.
Yet, there is something timeless about his bearing. People closest to him recount that he carries his years with grace, not as a burden but as a garment of honour. His laughter is measured, his eyes hold stories, and his presence brings peace. There are few men you meet and feel that they are, by their very essence, custodians of stability. Ojulari is one such man. Even in a storm, he makes you believe that land is not far off.
The country is blessed to have him at the helm of its most critical engine room. The world is watching. Expectations soar. But so does our confidence in his ability to deliver. Not through gimmicks, but through fortitude. Not through bluster, but through brilliance.
And on this day, his 60th birthday, across boardrooms and bunkers, from upstream to downstream, from Lagos to London, from the swamps of the Niger Delta to the corporate enclaves of Abuja, Nigeria salutes her son. A fine gentleman. A statesman. A patriot. A leader in the full flower of his purpose.
The oilman with a heart of gold.
Happy 60th Birthday, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited. Your light, like the eternal flare of an oil rig, burns bright into the future.
