The Coalition of Niger Delta People for Development (CONFODEV) has expressed strong 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 dedicated to fairness, equity, and transparency in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 28, 2025, in Abuja, CONFODEV, an umbrella body of Niger Delta groups including 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 allegations of corruption and marginalisation against Mr. Ojulari as baseless, politically motivated, and aimed at derailing ongoing reforms in the sector.
Speaking at the briefing, CONFODEV’s Director General and Convener of the NDDA, Comrade Iteveh Nurudeen Ekpokpobe, said Mr. Ojulari, in less than four months in office, had introduced bold measures that restored crude oil production to near-peak levels, revitalised moribund infrastructure, and extended empowerment programmes to oil-producing communities across the Niger Delta.
He noted that Ojulari’s insistence on ending nepotism in contract awards had unsettled entrenched interests who previously benefitted from injustice and monopoly, leading to orchestrated smear campaigns.
“The reality is that corruption is fighting back. For years, the Niger Delta was subjected to unfair practices in the oil sector, but today Mr. Ojulari is introducing equity and fairness.
“Unfortunately, those who profited from the old order see this as a threat to their survival, hence these attacks,” Ekpokpobe said.
The coalition also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for backing Ojulari’s reformist drive, stressing that his administration has demonstrated genuine commitment to repositioning the oil industry and ensuring that Niger Delta communities benefit directly from national resources.
CONFODEV, therefore, condemned in strong terms the ongoing smear campaign against the NNPCL GCEO, passed a vote of confidence in both President Tinubu and Mr. Ojulari, and urged Niger Delta youths and stakeholders not to allow themselves to be manipulated by corrupt elements seeking to derail progress.
The coalition further called on the Presidency and the NNPCL leadership to remain resolute in restructuring pipeline surveillance contracts to ensure fairness across ethnic lines.
It maintained that those agitating for Ojulari’s removal have exposed themselves as saboteurs working against the interest of the region, stressing that blackmail and smear campaigns cannot be substitutes for genuine agitation.
Ekpokpobe concluded that CONFODEV will continue to mobilise support for reforms that guarantee justice and equity in the oil and gas sector, affirming that Niger Delta people will not stand by while enemies of progress attempt to return the region to an era of exploitation, monopoly, and injustice.
