Two prominent civil advocacy groups have called on Nigerian politicians to desist from heating up the polity with unsubstantiated allegations and politically motivated attacks aimed at distracting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration from its reform agenda.
At a joint press conference held Saturday in Abuja under the theme “Separating Politics from Governance,” First Green White Resources (FGWR) and the Strategic Communication Centre for Defence and Security (SCCDS) expressed concern over what they described as a targeted media war against the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, barely 100 days into his tenure.
FGWR Founder, Bonaventure Phillips Melah, said recent achievements under Tinubu’s economic reforms—including lower prices of staple goods, fuel market restructuring, and the rollout of the Nigerian Students’ Loan Scheme—are signs of progress that deserve public support, not sabotage.
“It is regrettable that some politicians who have lost relevance are now working to paint the administration in bad light through coordinated attacks on strategic institutions like NNPCL,” Melah stated.
He decried what he called “economic terrorism” being waged by vested interests, including some politically exposed persons and internal saboteurs, who are allegedly behind the smear campaign against Ojulari.
Melah cited achievements such as: Drop in rice prices from ₦110,000 to between ₦63,000–₦67,000 per 50kg bag, reduction in fuel prices from ₦1,500 to as low as ₦840 per litre due to indigenous competition, disbursement of ₦73.2 billion in student loans to over 396,000 students, and ngoing infrastructure projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
He warned that false claims and media propaganda aimed at destabilising NNPCL could scare away investors and damage Nigeria’s oil sector, which remains central to the country’s economy.
“There’s a time for politics and a time for nation-building. Attempting to destroy strategic institutions just to spite the President ahead of 2027 is not only short-sighted but dangerous,” he added.
Also speaking, Yashim Luka, Director of Publicity at SCCDS, warned against early political campaigns and unnecessary alarmism.
“It is unfortunate that former public officials now mount the airwaves to predict doom for Nigeria just to score political points. This is demoralising and counterproductive,” he said.
Luka stressed the importance of allowing the new NNPCL management to implement its mandate without interference and urged the federal government to act decisively against any elements attempting to undermine the oil sector.
“A threat to NNPCL is a threat to national security. The government must protect this institution from destructive politics,” he concluded.