Youths of the Niger Delta, under the umbrella of the Host Communities Producing Oil, Gas and Pipeline Impacted States’ Youth Council of Nigeria (HOSTCONYCN), have described calls for the sack of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Bayo Ojulari, as an aberration.
The youths, who staged a protest in Abuja, said Ojulari is a competent and transparent leader with a clean record in the oil and gas industry. They commended President Bola Tinubu for appointing him, adding that Ojulari has transformed the fortunes of NNPCL since assuming office.
Speaking on the matter, National President of HOSTCONYCN, Emmanuel Fiawei, said the demands for Ojulari’s removal were unnecessary and misguided, stressing that Niger Delta youths opposed the protest organized to that effect.
He stated, “That call for him (Engr. Ojulari) to be removed and replaced is uncalled for, it is an aberration. Nigerians are totally against it, and we can never be in support of it. We are calling on Mr. President to disregard that call in totality, because we know that Engr. Bayo Ojulari is transforming, sanitizing, and restructuring the system.”
Fiawei expressed shock that youths from the Niger Delta could be sponsored to destabilize Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which he said was already producing visible reforms across critical sectors. He noted that Ojulari, barely three months in office, has brought transparency and accountability to NNPCL, citing the introduction of monthly revenue updates as a first in the corporation’s history.
According to him, under Ojulari’s leadership, NNPCL has remitted over ₦20 trillion into the federation account. He further revealed that crude oil production, which stood at about 1.3 mbpd before Ojulari’s appointment, has now risen to between 1.8 mbpd and 2 mbpd through collaborations with host communities, Tantita Security Services, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, and law enforcement agencies.
Also speaking, National Secretary of HOSTCONYCN, Dr. Etta Peters, accused opposition elements of attempting to smear the NNPCL despite its recent achievements.
He said, “It is sad that even in the midst of obvious humongous successes in this industry, members of the opposition coalition have tried to paint the NNPCL black. We, the members of the Host Communities Producing Oil, Gas, and Pipeline Impacted States Youth Council of Nigeria, are in complete harmony with the Coalition of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Council in condemning the rascality of the Ijaw Youth Council as the handiwork of disgruntled and frustrated kleptomaniac bureaucrats, who have planted themselves in the NNPCL and have institutionalised corruption. This is a clear case of ‘if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back’.”
Peters stressed that the Niger Delta region has over 140 ethnic nationalities, and no single group can claim to represent the majority. He added, “Today, as always, we rise in unison, including the majority faction of the IYC, to pass a vote of confidence on the GCEO of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, and solidly stand by him and his transformational leadership and anti-corruption posture in the Towers.”
What you should know
Engr. Bayo Ojulari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, has earned the backing of Niger Delta youths who praised his transparency, reforms, and efforts in boosting Nigeria’s oil production.
Despite opposition calls for his removal, host communities have rallied behind him, passing a strong vote of confidence in his leadership.
