The Nigeria Ethnic Nationality Youth Leaders Council Worldwide has demanded the resignation of the Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, within seven days.
This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the Publicity Secretary of the group.
It could be re-called that last week, the group at a press conference in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, accused the Kyari-led NNPCL of sabotaging the take-off of local refineries, including the Dangote refinery.
At the last week press conference were Comrade Terry Obeih, President General, Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders/NENYLCW, Alhaji Balarabe Rufai, President, Northern Youth Congress/ Vice President, NENYLCW, Aare Oladotun Hassan Esq, President, Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide/ Secretary General, NENYLCW, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, National President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide/ Publicity Secretary, NENYLCW, Comrade Emmanuel Zopmal, President, Middle-Belt Youth Council/ Organising Secretary, NENYLCW and Alhaji Hamisu Dass, President, North-East Youth Assembly/Treasurer, NENYLCW.
The youths have now declared that they won’t back down on their demand.
In the statement made available to journalists by their spokesman, Okwu, they vowed to cripple the country with a protest should Kyari fail to resign within seven days.
The youth leaders said they would not continue to watch Nigerians face avoidable sufferings owing to the actions of a tiny cabal.
They urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack Kyari if he failed to resign within seven days.
According to them, “We are making this demand in the light of the endless controversy surrounding crude oil supply in Nigeria.
“We cannot continue to boast to be a major oil producer, yet our people are facing acute scarcity of petroleum products on a daily basis.
“The delayed take-off of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, as well as the sabotage of the Dangote refinery is responsible for this hardship Nigerians are facing.
“There is every indication that the subsidy cabal is not ready to let go; this is why we demand that the NNPCL MD must resign within seven days.
“The President, who happens to be the minister of petroleum, should also order a forensic audit of the NNPCL accounts.
“This is necessary as we cannot understand why it has become to meet up with the OPEC quota, which is always blamed on oil theft; this is suspect and should be scrutinized by private auditors.
“It is disgraceful, inconceivable and unacceptable to hear that crude oil will have to be imported into the country from the United States of America for the take-off of the local refineries.
“Should Kyari remain in office after one week, we shall have no other option than to occupy the streets pending when the needful is done,” the group warned.