A statement personally issued by Soneye on Saturday said his resignation was to allow him to focus on personal businesses.

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you all for the unwavering support, professionalism, and genuine commitment you’ve shown in helping to shape and amplify the NNPC Ltd story over the past 20 months.

“Your role in building a vibrant and effective communications presence for our national energy company has been nothing short of invaluable.

“I wish to inform you that I have stepped aside from my role as Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd.

“This decision will allow me to devote more time to my family and attend to personal responsibilities that now require my closer presence.

“It has been a profound honour to serve both the Company and our country, and to contribute in my own way to the ongoing transformation of NNPC Ltd. I am deeply grateful for the trust reposed in me, the opportunities granted, and the incredible professionals both within and outside the organisation with whom I have worked.

“I remain a steadfast supporter and ambassador of NNPC Ltd wherever I go. I enjoin you, dear colleagues, to continue your robust, balanced, and constructive reportage in support of the Company’s noble mission and strategic role in Nigeria’s energy future,” Femi Soneye wrote.

The award was given to him on Thursday, April 17 by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

In a release on Sunday, April 20, Ms. Maureen Chigbo, GOCOP President, commended Mr. Soneye’s exceptional achievement, describing it as a testament to his professionalism and dedication to impactful communication.

The release signed by Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, Publicity Secretary of GOCOP said:

 “This recognition is a shining affirmation of your commitment to transparency, professionalism, and effectiveness in strategic communication of your companies policies to its various publics in Nigeria’s vital oil and gas sector,” she said.

Chigbo said that Mr. Soneye’s leadership in corporate communication at NNPC Ltd has set a new standard for public communication in the industry, and his emergence as the recipient of this award is a reflection of his exceptional skill and integrity.

Chigbo is particularly happy, that Mr. Soneye is a good ambassador of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) where he was a  member before his appointment as the chief communications officer of the NNPCL.

Mr. Soneye’s achievement, she said, is a badge of honor not just for him, but for the entire organization.

On behalf of GOCOP’s 120 members, Ms. Chigbo congratulated Mr. Soneye and urged him to continue to lift the image of the national oil company to greater heights.

“GOCOP commended Mr. Soneye for his outstanding contribution to corporate communication in Nigeria and celebrates his well-deserved recognition.

“We are proud to have you as a member, and we pray God to grant you many more blessings of good health of mind and body to continue to excel in your job and service to the nation,” she said.

Reports on the newly increased price come after NNPCL said it owed its suppliers more than $6bn in debt.

Our investigations in Abuja and Lagos confirmed that the price was adjusted on Tuesday.

While the report from Abuja said the price was jerked up to ₦897 per litre, our finding in Lagos shows that NNPCL station at Awolowo Road in Lagos, increased the price to ₦855 per litre.

Other marketers have since jerked up prices too following NNPCL’s price adjustment, with over 30 per cent increments reported, to around ₦897 per litre.

Reports earlier revealed a hike in the ex-depot price of the product to ₦754 per litre.

Speculations revealed the price was reviewed upward to reflect the global price and to reduce the debt burden on NNPCL.

The NNPC spokesperson, Femi Soneye denied any adjustments in prices, stressing that the old price remains.

Earlier the Federal Government also denied reports that it directed NNPCL to peg fuel prices at ₦1,000.

“The federal government is compelled to address the outright falsehoods currently being circulated on social media, which claim that the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to inflate petroleum prices above the approved pump price,” said a Tuesday statement by Nnemaka Okafor, special adviser, media and communication, to the Minister for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri.