Niger Delta Youths Storm NNPC Headquarters Over Corruption Claims

In Abuja, youths from the Niger Delta stormed the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Wednesday, demanding the removal of Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Ojulari over allegations of corruption and poor management.

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The protesters, who identified themselves as youth leaders from the oil-rich region, also insisted that the leadership of the national oil company should be handed to an indigene of the Niger Delta. They said this was the only way to ensure fair representation in managing the country’s most critical resource.

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The demonstration began early in the day at the NNPC Towers in the Central Business District. The youths carried placards with various inscriptions, chanting songs and blocking the main entrance to the complex. Their presence created gridlock along Herbert Macaulay Way, forcing motorists into long delays as security operatives tried to manage the situation.

LIST OF APPLICATIONS FOR REGULARISATION OF AREA COUNCIL LAND DOCUMENTS NULLIFIED/CANCELLED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FCT

Police officers and other security agents were deployed to prevent the protest from escalating. They diverted traffic into alternative lanes while NNPC staff avoided parking near the building’s gates. Workers who had already arrived were seen waiting outside until the protest subsided.

The tension eased later in the afternoon when a representative of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, addressed the aggrieved youths. After the intervention, the protesters left the road and traffic flow was gradually restored in the area.

The protest has once again drawn attention to growing dissatisfaction among Niger Delta youths over what they describe as exclusion from key decision-making positions in the oil and gas industry. Their demand for leadership roles in NNPC reflects long-standing agitation from the region, which hosts most of the country’s oil wealth but continues to grapple with underdevelopment and unemployment.