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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The umbrella body of Ijaw Youths Worldwide, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) has slammed the faceless groups involved in the campaign of calumny against the Executive Vice President of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Tombomieye Adokiye, declaring that the call for the a probe by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) is distasteful and affront on the Nigerian people whom have suffered a lot from economic sabotage and crude oil theft.
According to the IYC, though the EFCC has the power to probe when provided with the strong evidence against individuals, the faceless groups under the fictitious alias ‘Niger Delta Youths and Stakeholders Congress’ is not known to the youths of the region and should not be allowed to succeed in its Pull-him-down syndrome against a true son of the region such as Adokiye.
The IYC through its national spokesman, Mr Ebilade Ekerefe, called on the EFCC to investigate the individuals behind the attacks against Adokiye for sponsored blackmail.
Ekerefe also warned those behind the campaign of calumny against Adokiye to desist from it, revealing that millions of youths from the six states of the Niger Delta region are ready to resist any attempts to bring him down and will stop at nothing to thwart the threats of mega protest being brandished in order to force the EFCC to probe where there is no evidence of misdeed.
“For us blackmailing Mr Adokiye to gain attention is a wrong step for seeking relevance. Because we don’t have many Ijaw leaders at the top of Federal agencies, therefore, we would not hesitate to take necessary steps as well as we have vowed to stand by those at the top and not allow a few sponsored individuals to pull them down,” he said.
On the claims that Adokiye is involved in alleged sabotage of the nation’s economy and complicity in crude oil theft, the IYC described the allegation as “laughable”, insisting that the purported petitions against him are sponsored by some group of persons who are out to dent his image and malign him with unfounded and mischievous allegations in other to drag his name to mud”
” As social right advocacy organisation, we condemn such petitions in totality and we call on all well-meaning sons and daughters of the Niger Delta region, precisely the Ijaw Nation, to support and rally round Tombomieye Adokiye for his good works he has done so far at the NNPC management to better the lives of most of our teeming Ijaw sons and daughters from the region.
“In a recent landmark achievements recorded against crude oil theft in the region, involved the awarding of a critical oil and gas assets protection contract to Tantita Security Limited, headed by the Foremost Former Militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo. It’s an obvious fact that the CEO Mr Mele Kyhari and Mr Adokiye Tombomieye innovative leadership style and work ethics reshaped and set the ground rolling for the anti-crude oil theft campaign initiated by NNPC and the federal government of Nigeria”
