The Niger Delta Development Agenda (NDDA) has urged stakeholders, opinion leaders, and the Nigerian public to rally behind the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, in the wake of what it described as spurious and politically motivated allegations against his person.
The NDDA expressed serious concern about recent attacks by a coalition of civil society organisations that demanded Ojulari’s arrest during a press conference at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Headquarters in Abuja, according to a statement signed in Warri by its Convener, Comrade Iteveh Nurudeen Ekpokpobe.
However, the NDDA rejected these allegations as lies propagated by opponents of development, pointing out that the leader of the NNPCL has continuously shown an unshakeable dedication to accountability, transparency, and the Niger Delta’s economic recovery.
According to the NDDA, “Mr. Ojulari’s tenure has ushered in groundbreaking turnaround initiatives aimed at boosting oil production, fostering infrastructural renewal, and empowering host communities in the Niger Delta. It is no surprise that forces opposed to development and vested interests threatened by his reform-driven leadership are resorting to character assassination to derail these efforts.”
The organisation warned that such assaults, if left unchecked, might divert the NNPCL GCEO from delivering on projects that directly touch livelihoods in the oil-producing area and across the country.
“We call on patriotic Nigerians to see through this smear campaign and to stand firmly with a leader whose vision aligns with the aspirations of the Niger Delta and the nation at large. The NDDA will continue to monitor these developments and mobilize support to ensure that enemies of development do not succeed in undermining the progress we have begun to see under Mr. Ojulari’s leadership,” the statement concluded.
