Bukola Kayode
A coalition of OilWatch Nigeria, Workers’ Rights Alliance, and Concerned Citizens Watch have taken their protest to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
The group called on the EFCC to arrest and prosecute Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).
The Conclave reports oil workers, activists, and concerned citizens, who participated in the protest as saying their action was in response to the recent detention of Abdullahi Bashir Haske, a close associate of Ojulari, during which he confessed to the EFCC that the $21 million found in his account—equivalent to ₦34.65 billion at the current exchange rate—belongs to Ojulari.
“This is money that could have transformed our hospitals, schools, and roads. Instead, it was allegedly hidden by one man’s greed. We demand justice now!, Emmanuel Ekpeyong of OilWatch was quoted as saying by the online news portal.
The news portal also reports that the protesters listed several other allegations against Ojulari, including living an extravagant lifestyle in the Presidential Suite of the Wells Carlton Hotel, orchestrating shell companies for contract fraud, and appointing unqualified loyalists into key NNPCL positions.
“Ojulari’s actions are a betrayal of every Nigerian struggling to survive. His cronyism has crippled NNPCL and eroded trust in our oil sector.” Danladi Usman of Workers’ Rights Alliance was quoted as saying.
Further accusations include Ojulari’s alleged interference with EFCC investigations to shield allies, a move Babatunde Anifowoshe of Concerned Citizens Watch called “an affront to the rule of law.”
Anifowoshe was quoted as saying , “Allowing Ojulari to walk free undermines President Tinubu’s promise of renewed hope. The EFCC must act, and the President must sack him immediately.”
The coalition’s demands were that: the EFCC must arrest and prosecute Ojulari for his alleged role in the ₦34.65 billion scandal and other corrupt practices, and that President Tinubu must remove him from NNPCL.
“This scandal is just the tip of the iceberg,” Ekpeyong added.
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