By Comfort Olayinka
The Coalition of Niger Delta People for Development (CONFODEV) has thrown its weight behind the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, while also passing a vote of confidence on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, the coalition, which comprises several Niger Delta groups including the Niger Delta Development Agenda (NDDA), Niger Delta Renaissance and Development Movement, Rivers State Ex-Agitators Network, Ndigbo Progressive Youths Coalition, and the Niger Delta Liberators and Ex-Agitators Forum, condemned recent allegations of corruption and marginalisation leveled against Ojulari.
The group described the allegations as “baseless, politically motivated, and a smear campaign orchestrated by enemies of development.”
“Mr. Ojulari has barely spent four months in office, yet he has introduced reforms that boosted crude oil production, revitalized infrastructure, and extended empowerment projects to host communities,” CONFODEV stated.
They argued that entrenched interests who benefited from “nepotistic contract awards” under past management were behind the attacks, stressing that Ojulari’s commitment to equity and transparency was unsettling corrupt stakeholders.
Accordingly, the coalition resolved to:
- Condemn politically sponsored attacks against the NNPCL GCEO.
- Pass a vote of confidence on President Tinubu and Ojulari for repositioning the oil sector.
- Urge Niger Delta youths not to be used as tools by corrupt interests.
- Call on the Presidency and NNPCL leadership to continue breaking the monopoly of pipeline surveillance contracts along ethnic lines.
“Those calling for Mr. Ojulari’s sack have exposed themselves as agents of sabotage,” the coalition declared. “The Nigerian public must rally behind a leader whose vision aligns with our collective aspiration for a just and prosperous oil industry.”
CONFODEV vowed to continue mobilizing support for reforms in the oil sector, stressing that it would resist any attempt to drag the Niger Delta back into an era of exploitation and injustice.
