Information made available to Daily Lamp indicates that NUPRC promoted 106 members of staff across four management levels…
By Patrick Abang
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Published on September 22, 2026
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4 min read
Castro Ezama, Director-General of the National Patriotic Front for Tinubu (NPFFT), has expressed disappointment over the recent promotion exercise in the oil and gas industry.
Addressing a World Press Conference at the Earnest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar on Monday, Ezama drew urgent national attention to the reported outcome of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) 2026 promotion exercise and the complete absence of Cross River State indigenes from the list of successful officers.
Information made available to Daily Lamp indicates that NUPRC promoted 106 members of staff across four management levels; however, no one from Cross River State was promoted, despite the state having some qualified indigenes working in the Commission.
In his address to journalists, Ezama said, “We are informed that Cross River State indigenes were represented at each of these levels, yet not one Cross River State indigene was promoted.
“We are further informed that every other South-South state recorded at least three successful staff in the same exercise. If these facts are confirmed by the official records, the result is an extraordinary disparity that demands an immediate, transparent and independent review.
“How did an exercise involving 106 promotions across four consecutive management cadres produce no successful Cross River State indigene, despite the presence of Cross River indigenes within all four cadres, while the other South-South states reportedly recorded promotions?
“NPFFT is not asking NUPRC to promote any officer merely because of state of origin. Promotion must remain based on eligibility, competence, performance, experience and the Commission’s approved criteria, which are Management Development Programme (Examination), Interview and Internal appraisal process.
“Our concern is that an outcome of this scale and pattern raises a serious prima facie question about equal opportunity, consistency of assessment and compliance with the federal character principle. That question cannot be answered by silence or a general assurance as it requires disclosure of the relevant records and an objective review of the promotion exercise.
“We recognise that federal character must operate alongside merit and cannot be used to reward an unqualified candidate. Equally, merit cannot be invoked as a blanket answer where a promotion outcome reveals the total exclusion of one state across several management levels. The proper response is to demonstrate, with verifiable data, the criteria applied, the scores obtained, the moderation process used and the state-by-state outcome.
“The issue before the public is therefore not a demand for preferential treatment. It is whether qualified Cross River indigenes received the same fair opportunity as their colleagues and whether the overall exercise can withstand constitutional, administrative and professional scrutiny.
“The reported outcome raises the following concerns: (a) The complete absence of Cross River State indigenes among 106 promoted staff across four management cadres; (b) The reported contrast between Cross River State and every other South-South state in the promotion outcome; (c)
“We respectfully call on the leadership and Governing Board of NUPRC to: (a) Permit an urgent and impartial independent review of the 2026 promotion exercise.
“We call on the Federal Character Commission to examine the state-of-origin distribution and decision-making process in the 2026 NUPRC promotion exercise.
“This is an opportunity for the National Assembly to demonstrate that oversight is practical, impartial and responsive. A transparent inquiry will either establish that the exercise complied with the applicable rules or identify the corrective action required. Either outcome is preferable to allowing the allegation to remain unanswered, suggesting complicity.
“We urge the Presidency and the supervising authorities to ensure that federal institutions apply merit, due process and federal character in a manner that is both fair and demonstrably transparent. Public confidence depends on employees knowing that career decisions are based on disclosed standards and can be reviewed through credible procedures. We strongly appeal for a supplementary promotion list for Cross River State Indigenes.
“This press conference is not an attack on NUPRC or its leadership but a demand for facts, accountability and lawful redress.
“If the reported figures are inaccurate, NUPRC should publish the correct position. If the figures are accurate but the decisions were justified by consistently applied criteria, the Commission should demonstrate that through an independent review. If errors, bias, unequal treatment or non-compliance are established, the affected decisions should be corrected without delay.
“NUPRC occupies a central place in Nigeria’s petroleum industry. Its internal personnel processes should reflect the same standards of transparency, technical integrity and accountability that it expects from the industry it regulates.”
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