By Mercy Gadia Adi
The Coalition of Niger Delta People for Development (CONFODEV) has declared its support for the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, while also reaffirming confidence in the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the coalition comprising 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 dismissed recent allegations of corruption and marginalisation against Ojulari as unfounded.
“The allegations are baseless, politically motivated, and a smear campaign orchestrated by enemies of development,” CONFODEV declared.
The group argued that Ojulari, despite being in office for less than four months, had already recorded significant achievements in repositioning the oil and gas sector.
“Mr. Ojulari has introduced reforms that boosted crude oil production, revitalized infrastructure, and extended empowerment projects to host communities,” the coalition stated.
According to CONFODEV, entrenched interests who previously benefited from “nepotistic contract awards” were behind the recent media attacks.
“Ojulari’s commitment to equity and transparency is unsettling corrupt stakeholders who have long exploited the system,” the group added.
The coalition therefore 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, and call on the Presidency and NNPCL to continue dismantling ethnic monopolies in pipeline surveillance contracts.
“Those calling for Mr. Ojulari’s sack have exposed themselves as agents of sabotage,” CONFODEV declared. “The Nigerian public must rally behind a leader whose vision aligns with our collective aspiration for a just and prosperous oil industry.”
The coalition vowed to continue mobilizing support for reforms in the oil sector, warning that it would resist any attempt to drag the Niger Delta “back into an era of exploitation and injustice.”