NDNAF Condemns Unwarranted Attack on Senator. Lokpobiri

***Passes Vote of Confidence While Calling on Niger Deltans to Stand Firmly With all Elected and Appointed Leaders

The national leadership of the most revered Niger Delta Nonviolence Agitators Forum (NDNAF) which is an embodiment of focused, vibrant, productive and highly resourceful Niger Deltans has condemned in very strong terms the unwarranted media attack against Senator Heineken Lokpobiri the Hon. Minister of State for Petroleum (Crude) whom they describe as an outstanding illustrious son of the Niger Delta who has distinguished himself in so many areas and ways.

Comrade Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli who had served the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide in different capacities including as National Director of Mobilization and Chairman, Action Committee and now incumbent National President of NDNAF, described the poorly worded, ill-concieved and ill-motive press release by some disgruntled and very insignificant fellows who were purportedly calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to redeploy Senator Heineken Lokpobiri from the Ministry of Petroleum and possibly sack him due to incompetence.

It is quite unfortunate that the baseless accusation by the miserable and very frustrated youths was actually a well calculated attempt at misleading gullible members of the public to hate Senator Lokpobiri whom they erroneously accuse of creating avoidable artificial fuel scarcity that is making Nigerians to go through excruciating pains and hardship which is not true in any way. Informed and very sensitive Nigerians know all the contentious issues including the high level of sabotages by antagonistic elements who are afraid of the good works of Mr. President that shall on the long run result in the reformed, transformed and repositioned Nigeria of our dream.

It is indeed sad and very shameful that those who accused Senator Lokpobiri, a man who had earlier served as pioneer Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, two times Senator of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he served meritoriously and left indelible legacies and former Minister of State for Agriculture of incompetence do not even know the difference between the substantive Minister of Petroleum and the Minister of State (Crude).

It is pathetic, worst and almost unbelievable that those who accused a Doctor of Law (Ph.D) of incompetence do not even know that their allegation about incompetence was a direct indictment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is the substantive super Minister of Petroleum Resources when Nigerians know the immeasurable and invaluable sacrifices and efforts of Mr. President to fix the rot in the country and also block all leakages.

The leadership of NDNAF which is one of the most formidable nonviolence pressure groups in the Niger Delta region and Nigerian state in general while dismissing the irrelevant and very baseless allegation submitted that it is common knowledge that the Renewed Hope administration inherited the present crisis in the petroleum sector including petroleum subsidy. Relevant documents shows that subsidy was never budgetted for in the 2023 Budget that it inherited from the previous administration and it was worsened by the fact that the Buhari administration sold Nigeria’s crude oil in advance. Alhaji AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq the Governor of Kwara State who doubles as Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) confirmed the above fact through a statement that was issued by his Chief Press Secretary Rafiu Ajakaye.

Ikuli concluded that it is preposterous and mischievous too for young people who are striving for greatness to blame such sensitive issue and well known fact on an innocent man that places so much premium on service delivery and on the empowerment, growth and development of his people. He reiterated that it is an indisputable fact that the Ministry of Petroleum within the last one year has experienced unprecedented rapid improvement in production and over all performance of the ministry and all the parastatals and agencies under crude where Senator Lokpobiri serves as junior minister but instead of commendation and appreciation, he is been vilified and demonized by visionless young people who are throwing tantrums.

Beside passing a Vote of Confidence on Senator Heineken Lokpobiri for his good works, the leadership of NDNAF uses the medium to urge Niger Deltans to learn to support their elected and appointed leaders and representatives who they are suppose to build synergy instead of trying to pull them down.