By Jose Oby 
The Host Communities Producing Oil, Gas and Pipeline Impacted States Youth Council of Nigeria (HOSTCOM-NYC) has come down hard on the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) over its protest against the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Bayo Ojulari.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its National Secretary, Dr. A.K. Etta Peters, for the National President, Comrade Emmanuel Pathfinder, HOSTCOM-NYC described the protest as an “unfortunate, misdirected, miscalculated and misinformed character assassination” against Ojulari and by extension President Bola Tinubu.
The group maintained that President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has begun to transform the oil and gas industry, delivering visible successes, but lamented that “disgruntled kleptomaniac bureaucrats” who once thrived on corruption within the NNPCL are now fighting back through sponsored attacks.
“This is a clear case of ‘if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back,’” HOSTCOM-NYC declared. “These devilish criminals pretending to be saints are resisting the new order because it does not favour their looting.”
Rejecting IYC’s claims of representing the Niger Delta, the council stressed that the region is home to over 140 ethnic nationalities, making IYC’s stance “infinitesimal, insignificant and too minute” to speak for the majority. It added that even within the IYC, a majority faction stands with other Niger Delta youth coalitions in support of Ojulari.
“We rise in unison to pass a vote of confidence on the GCEO of NNPCL, Engr. Bayo Ojulari. We solidly stand by him, his transformational leadership, and his uncompromising anti-corruption posture in the Towers,” the statement affirmed.
HOSTCOM-NYC further challenged those benefiting from past corruption in the NNPCL to “face us” and be exposed before the Nigerian people. The group also praised the Tinubu administration for the faithful implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), describing the reforms as critical to safeguarding the wealth of the Niger Delta for its ethnic nationalities.