Secrets Reporters
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited), under the leadership of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, through its lawyers, Afe Babalola & Co., has rejected a Freedom of Information (FOI) request seeking details of the company’s most recent recruitment exercise, insisting that the firm is a private limited liability company that does not utilise public funds or perform public functions.
In a letter dated 18 August 2026 addressed to SecretsReporters’ Senior Reporter, the law firm stated that NNPC Limited ceased to be subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2011 following the operationalisation of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. Under the PIA, the former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation transitioned into a limited liability company registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020.
“Our client, like any other limited liability company, is not subject to the provisions of the FOIA,” the letter signed by Esther Jesudunmo Longe of Afe Babalola & Co. read. It further referenced a 24 June 2024 judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (Suit No. CV/2297/2023 between Governance Media Limited and Nigeria National Petroleum Company) which held that NNPC Limited, having become a private company, is not a public institution and is therefore not bound to disclose information under the FOIA.
The lawyers emphasised, “Our client does not perform public functions or utilise public funds. It is a private limited liability company.”
The FOI request had sought a comprehensive list of all persons recruited in the latest exercise, including full names, dates of appointment, positions, departments or subsidiaries assigned, educational and professional qualifications, employment categories (permanent, temporary, contract, graduate trainee or otherwise), total numbers recruited, the selection criteria and process, and the nominal roles of all management staff.
While maintaining that the FOIA no longer applies, the firm also cited Section 14(1) of the Act, which exempts personal information contained in personnel files of employees, appointees or applicants. It argued that the requested details fall squarely within this exemption.
“Consequently, all requested information is exempt under Section 14(1) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. Therefore, our client is obliged to deny access to such information,” the letter stated, concluding with an outright rejection of the request “in the interest of due process and transparency.”
The response underscores the ongoing debate over the public accountability of NNPC Limited after its commercialisation under the PIA, with the company and its lawyers insisting on its private-sector status despite its strategic national role and government ownership links.
