From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Youths from the Host Communities of Niger Delta States have commended the the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Oladapo Olufemi Soneye over move to engage youths with a talent haunt to boost protection of the nation’s oil and gas infrastructures across the country.
According to the Niger Delta Youths under the aegis of the Host Communities of Producing Oil Gas and Pipeline Impacted States Youth Council of Nigeria, HOSTCON YOUTH COUNCIL OF NIGERIA, the decision to engage youths in a talent haunt will give the youths a sense of belonging and commitment to the issues affecting the oil and gas sector.
The HOSTCON YOUTH COUNCIL OF NIGERIA, in a statement issued on Monday and made available to newsmen via electronic mail, said that since the appointment of Oladapo Olufemi Soneye, as the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, confidence of Nigerians and that of investors in the NNPCL have been restored, following the influx of major investors, like the $5 billion Bonga North Deep Offshore Field on the Final Investment Decision (FID) by Shell and its partners.
Meanwhile, the President of HOSTCON YOUTH Council of Nigeria, Comrade Emmanuel Fiawei Pathfinder, in the statement said: “This and many others, have led to massive investment, which President Bola Tinubu, as described as a transformative milestone for Nigeria’s energy sector.
“Indeed, your professionalism and experience in the field of journalism for properly communicating with Nigerians addressing the issues of NNPCL is doing has made Nigerians and investors to repose confidence the easy of doing business with the Company to be reckoned with in the comity of nations, especially in OPEC, where the entire world is endeared to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
“We have also noted that the NNPCL has put smile on the faces of Nigerians recently by reducing the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol, from N945 per litre to N860 per litre has made Nigerians to heavily rely on NNPCL for PMS and other products, therefore, this has made industry stakeholders, including oil marketers and trade associations to express hope that increased local production from the Port Harcourt will positively impact on the economy.
“We also noted that this is the second pump price cut between February and March, which would bring about huge economic relief to Nigerians ahead of the Ramadan and Easter seasons. This is despite the bashings from unpatriotic Nigerians, without thinking about the national interest and the image of NNPCL.”
However, he (Pathfinder), also faulted the rising cases of attacks launched against the leadership of the NNPCL, saying , “The Group Chief Executive Officer, GCEO, Engr Mele Kyari, do not deserve the attacks and allegations on daily basis by some Nigerians who have made statements against the Company with the intention to bring the Nigerian brand into disrepute.
“When they alleged that NNPCL was importing adulterated PMS, and that was proven unfounded lies targeted to malign Kyari-led NNPCL for no just reason. As the NNPCL spokesman, you quickly stepped in as the Chief Communications Officer of NNPCL, to clarify these allegations that all were false allegations to misinform Nigerians about the causes of fuel price increases and the quality of fuel distributed by NNPCL and the doused the tension.
“It behooves us as HOSTCON YOUTH Council of Nigeria to call on our fellow Nigerians not to allow themselves to get involved in this pull-him-down syndrome, which does not speak well of our country, and particularly, the NNPCL and Engr Mele Kyari. Nigerians should not forget that this same Kyari was the only GCEO who opened the financial books of NNPCL to Nigerians and the international community to check the records, which has never happened in the history of the company since inception.
“The GCEO’s dexterity has brought a lot of reforms to reposition Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, therefore, has boosted the image and reputation of the Company globally. Therefore, we unanimously throw our weight behind the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Oladapo Olufemi Soneye, for your patriotism and passion for Nigerians, especially this talent haunt you have initiated and graciously approved by the GCEO of NNPCL to promote innovations and creativity among young people.
“Meanwhile, we want to appeal specially to the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to give youths in the creeks of the Niger Delta region priority in this talent hunt.
“We are passionately making this demand because there many youths in the host communities in the Niger Delta region who are roaming around aimlessly and are being engaged by saboteurs to the nation’s oil and gas sector, but with this engagement with the talent haunt most of them will come up with amazing innovations and creativity, and will be disconnected from any nefarious activities.
“We want to assure you that this talent haunt will be a success based on our network, structure and influence in all the communities in the Niger Delta region based on the caliber of our membership which include the traditional rulers, lawyers, lecturers, media professionals, captains of industries, youth leaders, and women leaders, and other eminent personalities.
“We believe in your leadership and the amazing reforms since you assumed office as the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, we are confident that the laudable change have brought in the oil and gas sector, which we are witnesses of your impact on host communities, which had massively impacted the production output of oil in the history of the sector.
“We also want to crave your indulgence on our request for the inclusion of youths from the host communities in the Niger Delta region, this will boost the current peace in the region and also increase oil and gas production.”