Itsekiri Youths Urge Probe Into Threats Against NNPCL CEO

The Itsekiri Progressive Youth Movement (IPYM) has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate alleged threats to the life of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari.

Ojulari, while hosting the leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) at the NNPC Towers in Abuja last week, revealed that his life was under threat due to reforms he introduced in the oil sector. He said the changes, especially efforts to revive the country’s four moribund refineries, had unsettled vested interests benefiting from inefficiencies in the system.

“We are under attack. We will not budge to short-term pressure, as it will not be in the best interest of Nigerians. You cannot drive change without a price, and the transformation is tough,” Ojulari said.

In a statement signed by its national chairman, Jerry Atiene, and general secretary, Romeo Ogedegbe, IPYM described a recent protest in Abuja demanding Ojulari’s sack as “corruption fighting back.” The group urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those behind the threats, warning that the matter should not be taken lightly.

“We were deeply troubled when the NNPCL boss disclosed that his life and those of the company’s management staff were being threatened. Security agencies must act swiftly to unmask those behind the threats and blackmail,” the group stated.

IPYM also appealed to Nigerians to support Ojulari’s reforms, stressing that his leadership aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s push to revive refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna.

The group encouraged Ojulari not to be deterred, adding that Nigerians should give his management more time to reposition the company, ensure profitability, and make the refineries work optimally for national development.