The Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) has urged Nigerians not to allow the controversy surrounding the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd)’s recruitment process to create regional divisions, insisting that the issue should not be used to fuel ethnic tensions.

Addressing journalists in Kaduna, the group’s Convener, Aliyu Muhammad, said claims of lopsided recruitment were misleading, explaining that the appointments being criticised were made in 2025, long before the company’s Employee Exit Scheme took effect on June 30, 2026.

He maintained that the recruitment followed a competitive, board-approved process to fill critical vacancies and was based on merit and competence. According to him, some of the individuals mentioned in the reports were employed before the current management assumed office.

Muhammad also dismissed claims that oil exploration had been abandoned in Northern Nigeria, saying NNPC Ltd remains committed to supporting the Kolmani Integrated Development Project and other frontier basin initiatives in line with the Petroleum Industry Act.

The forum expressed confidence in the company’s governance framework and commended President Bola Tinubu’s reforms, which it said have strengthened NNPC Ltd’s transparency and commercial focus. It also urged Nigerians to verify information through official channels and resist narratives capable of undermining national unity.