A coalition of Niger Delta youths on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Towers in Abuja, urging greater inclusion of professionals from the oil-producing region in the company’s leadership.
The demonstrators, who arrived at the Towers early in the morning, blocked the main gates while carrying placards and singing solidarity songs. They said their action was aimed at drawing government’s attention to what they described as the underrepresentation of Niger Delta indigenes in key decision-making roles at NNPCL.
One of the protest leaders said the youths were advocating for an indigenous chief executive from the region, noting that such an appointment would reflect the contribution of the Niger Delta to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and strengthen trust between the company and host communities.
The protest briefly disrupted vehicular movement along Herbert Macaulay Way in the Central Business District until security operatives diverted traffic and engaged the youths to ensure calm.
Following appeals from security agencies and a representative of the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the demonstrators agreed to clear the road and continued their protest at the company’s gate.
The event ended peacefully, with the youths maintaining that their demand for greater regional representation was about fairness, inclusiveness, and national cohesion.
