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, describing him as a reformist championing fairness, equity, and transparency in the oil and gas sector.
The coalition, an umbrella body comprising groups such as the Niger Delta Development Agenda (NDDA), Rivers State Ex-Agitators Network, Niger Delta Liberators Forum, Niger Delta Renaissance and Development Movement, and the Ndigbo Progressive Youths Coalition, dismissed recent corruption allegations against Ojulari as baseless and politically motivated.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, August 28, CONFODEV’s Director General and Convener of NDDA, Comr. Iteveh Nurudeen Ekpokpobe, said Ojulari had, within four months of assuming office, restored crude oil production to near-peak levels, revived abandoned infrastructure, and extended empowerment projects to oil-producing communities.
He explained that Ojulari’s insistence on ending nepotism in contract awards had unsettled entrenched interests benefitting from decades of monopoly and corruption. “The reality is that corruption is fighting back,” Ekpokpobe said. “For years, the Niger Delta was subjected to unfair practices, but today Ojulari is bringing equity and fairness. Sadly, those who profited from the old order now see him as a threat.”
CONFODEV praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for backing Ojulari’s reformist drive, noting that his administration had shown a genuine commitment to repositioning the oil industry and ensuring Niger Delta communities feel the impact of national resources.
The group passed a vote of confidence on both Tinubu and Ojulari, urging them to remain focused on restructuring pipeline surveillance contracts to guarantee fairness across ethnic lines. It further warned Niger Delta youths not to allow themselves to be used as pawns by corrupt interests seeking to derail reforms.
Describing those calling for Ojulari’s removal as saboteurs, CONFODEV maintained that smear campaigns cannot address the Niger Delta challenges. Instead, it pledged to continue mobilising grassroots support for reforms that promote justice, fairness, and sustainable development.
Ekpokpobe concluded: “The people of the region will not fold their arms while enemies of progress attempt to drag us back into an era of exploitation, monopoly, and injustice.”
