Posted by Niger Delta Youth Council
The Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC), a socio-cultural group that represents the interests of all youth groups in the nine States of the Niger Delta region has expressed outrage over attempts by certain groups to truncate the peace and security in the region for selfish reasons.
A group called National Awareness Forum (NAF), through a publication in Spade Nigeria News has purportedly asked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to terminate the oil pipelines surveillance contracts awarded to the Pipelines Infrastructures Nigeria Limited (PINL) operated by the revered
Itsekiri monarch,
the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III
But in a reaction to the said publication in a press statement signed by NDYC National Coordinator Engr. Jator Abido and Comr Kede Michael on Tuesday in Abuja, the group dismissed as the handiwork of faceless persons bent on disrupting the maritime security of Nigeria as a ruse to continue oil theft and other unwholesome activities in the region.
According to the release, “our intelligence has revealed that those behind this cowardly act are faceless individuals whose criminal syndicates have been rendered useless by the proactive security measures of PINL and are desperately fighting back to have the company sacked over some unfounded allegations. We make bold to say that they have failed and PINL contract won’t be terminated.
“Dragging the revered Olu of Warri, a respected and patriotic Nigerian into their shameless debacle is not just disrespectful but shameless. The barefaced lie that 112 cases of oil theft were recorded between December 23rd and 29th, 2023 is nothing but a malicious fabrication intended to weaken the morale of PINL and other companies operating pipeline surveillance in the region so that the enemies can strike”.
NDYC cautioned groups against unnecessarily heating the polity, noting that, “with increased crude output and the imminent resumption of production in the Port Harcourt refinery, throwing baseless accusations at the management and officials of PINL including allegations of connivance with oil barons to sabotage the nation’s economy does not hold water and is at best, a well planned distraction”.
The group described as suspicious, attempts by NAF, supposedly acting in the interest of Nigeria to single out a particular company for it’s campaign of calumny, adding that PINL has a clean track record in its operations in the Rivers and Imo State as against the lies concocted by saboteurs.
“We are saddened by the infantile lies being peddled by NAF. Why single out PINL for character assassination? It is not possible to have 112 oil attacks in a week. Whoever is behind this statistic should come up with facts or hide their faces in shame. If PINL has not been delivering as alleged, how come it has continued to get more contracts?
The group finally passed a vote of confidence on PINL and urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to listen to what it described as “noisemakers who are bent on derailing the renewed hope agenda by infiltrating the tight maritime security architecture for their personal gains, adding that youths of the region cannot fold their arms and allows miscreants to destabilise the region with their unfounded allegations”.