The Warri Indigenous Peoples Movement (WIPM) has distanced the Itsekiri ethnic nationality from recent protests in Abuja calling for the removal of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Bayo Ojulari.
In a statement presented by its General Secretary, Comrade Monoyo Edon, the group stressed that the Itsekiri people neither participated in nor endorsed the demonstration.
WIPM described attempts to ethnicise or politicise Niger Delta issues as divisive and counterproductive.
“We wish to clarify, unequivocally, that the Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality is not involved in any protest or campaign calling for the removal of Engr. Bayo Ojulari. The ongoing reforms being undertaken since he assumed office deserve constructive engagement and support”, the statement read.
The group urged stakeholders to embrace dialogue, transparency, and due process in addressing grievances within the oil and gas sector rather than resorting to confrontations or campaigns targeting individuals.
WIPM Chairman, Hon. Kingsley Tenumah, speaking after the statement was read, accused powerful interests of sponsoring protests to undermine Ojulari’s reforms and reopen opportunities for large-scale oil theft.
“All this blackmail is simply to pressure Ojulari into opening the pipelines again so they can resume looting our oil. We want the authorities to go after the high-level oil bunkerers in the Niger Delta region, the ones operating on the high seas, not just the small-scale jerrycan bunkerers”, Tenumah said.
He also urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to broaden its investigations beyond refinery turnaround maintenance to include alleged collusion that enables shiploads of stolen crude to leave Nigerian shores daily.
Tenumah highlighted the contribution of the Itsekiri nationality, which he said accounts for more than 33 percent of Nigeria’s oil revenue through over 70 flow stations across their land. He demanded fairness in the allocation of jobs and contracts, warning against policies that reward groups presenting themselves as having a monopoly on violence.
Supporting the call, Chief Priest of the Omadino Community in Warri South Local Government Area, Roland Oti-Yomere, described the Itsekiri as Nigeria’s most significant oil-producing community and said Ojulari should be allowed to carry out his mandate.
“The Managing Director is aware of the rampant illegal bunkering in the creeks and is determined to put an end to it. That is the real fight, and we will support him fully to ensure those involved are brought to justice,” Oti-Yomere said.
He further urged authorities to share oil surveillance contracts equitably among ethnic groups according to their production levels and to respect legal documentation over land ownership disputes.
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