Allegations against NNPCL’s VP Adokiye are untrue, CHURAC tells EFCC, other

Ebenezer Adurokiya

Allegations levelled against Vice President of the Nigerian Petroleum Corporation Ltd (NNPCL) Mr Tombomieye Adokiye, are untrue and smear campaigns by faceless groups.

For this, the chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, other relevant agencies and stakeholders have been advised to ignore the smear campaigns against Adokiye.

Condemning a faceless group, ‘Niger Delta Youths and Stakeholders Congress, for championing the smear campaign, the Centre for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade (CHURAC), warned the group to refrain from the path of dishonour.

In a statement signed and made available by CHURAC’s Board of Trustee’s Chairman, Cleric Alaowei, Esq., the Niger Delta-based rights group said that the allegations smacked of sheer blackmail.

It described the attack as the handiwork of stomach hustlers and mischievous fifth columnists.

The statement reads: “The allegations of oil facilities sabotage levelled against the Executive Vice President of the Nigerian Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mr Tombomieye Adokiye, by one faceless group of stomach hustlers are the handiwork of some vested interest coveting the office of Mr Adokiye, especially his soon-to-be promoted office.

“Some vested interest and born-to-rule crusaders are the ones coveting the office of the only Niger Deltans holding such sensitive office. Hence, they recruited some willing tools to carry out smear campaigns against the man.

“The petition purportedly written to the EFCC by the Niger Delta Youths and Stakeholders Congress against Mr Tombomieye Adokiye is a fallacy of ad baculum and thus, did not deserve the attention of the anti-graft agency.

“We’re not surprised that the Commission has chosen not to respond to such cheap lies in the alleged petition, manufactured to achieve a primordial objective by their sponsors.

“We advise the said Group to engage itself in meaningful ventures instead of being used as a pawn in the chessboard.

“It is appalling that people can just manufacture cheap and unfiltered lies against an innocent man just because they’re eyeing his office.

“We warn enemies of progress to refrain from their nefarious activities. Nigeria belongs to all of us. We know the brains behind the uncouth and incendiary attacks on Mr Adokiye. The man should be allowed to carry out his corporate responsibilities without let or hindrance.

“Even when the NNPCL management board was being dominated by a section of the country against the provisions of the Federal Character Act to the resentment of the Niger Delta people, the region did not incite people to haul attacks on the people who dominated the Board.

“Adokiye should be left alone to run the affairs of his office. The allegations levelled against him by that faceless group lacked all forms of merit. Only a myopic mind will buy into such incoherently pernicious lies.”

It will be recalled that some of the allegations being heaped on the NNPCL’s VP included the instigation of protests for a political bargain, sponsorship of crude oil theft, deliberate exclusion of core Niger Delta youths and other stakeholders from all NNPC concessional empowerment in the upstream subsidiaries, among others.

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