Breaking: Niger Delta Youth Leaders Storm NNPC Towers, Demand Ojulari’s Sack, Functional Refineries, and Jobs
Abuja — PulseNets learnt that youth leaders drawn from key Niger Delta ethnic nationalities — including the Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Ogoni, Isoko, Ibibio, and Efik — on Wednesday stormed the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Abuja, demanding urgent reforms in Nigeria’s oil sector.
The protesters, mobilized under the banner of the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationality Youth Leaders Forum, handed a seven-day ultimatum to both the federal government and NNPCL management. Their core demands, PulseNets obtained, are:
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The immediate removal of NNPCL Managing Director, Bayo Ojulari, over alleged corruption, mismanagement, and policies considered hostile to Niger Delta interests.
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The total revival of Nigeria’s moribund refineries, with priority on the Port Harcourt and Warri facilities.
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Increased job opportunities for Niger Delta youths, proportional to the region’s massive contribution to the nation’s oil wealth.
Allegations Against Ojulari
PulseNets reported that the coalition accused Ojulari of deliberately frustrating refinery operations, supervising job cuts that displaced hundreds of Niger Delta youths, and systematically excluding host communities from employment and management roles.
One of the youth leaders told PulseNets: “The Niger Delta cannot continue to be spectators while our oil wealth funds the nation, yet our people are denied jobs and our refineries are kept idle.”
The Forum warned that if their demands are ignored within the seven-day deadline, the region would embark on what they called “decisive mass action that the whole country will feel.”
Rising Tension in the Oil Sector
This protest, PulseNets learnt, comes at a time of heightened controversy over the continued shutdown of Nigeria’s refineries and alleged diversion of billions within the NNPCL. Investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are said to be ongoing into claims of large-scale mismanagement involving top executives.
Also Read: How Samuel Ogbuku is Rewriting the Niger Delta Story
Security operatives have been heavily deployed around NNPC Towers in Abuja to forestall violence, PulseNets reported. As of press time, the NNPCL management had yet to issue an official response to the Niger Delta leaders’ demands.
Civil society groups, federal authorities, and regional stakeholders are expected to react in the coming hours, as the standoff threatens to escalate tensions in Nigeria’s most critical economic sector.
