The Niger Delta Movement for Peoples Right and Development (NDMPRAD) has stepped forward to call out what it describes as a sophisticated smear campaign targeting former leadership figures at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). At the heart of this conflict is a series of accusatory statements made by a group calling itself the South South Youths Initiative (SSYI), led by Comrade Imeabe Saviour. The NDMPRAD, spearheaded by its Executive Director, Dr. Richard Oloige, argues that the SSYI is engaging in calculated blackmail against the former Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, and the retired Executive Vice President of Upstream, Adokiye Tombomieye. By framing these allegations as a “hatchet job,” the NDMPRAD seeks to distinguish between legitimate public scrutiny and the kind of malicious misinformation designed to damage personal reputations and erode public trust in key Nigerian institutions.
The primary point of friction involves the SSYI’s claims regarding the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery. The SSYI alleged that Mr. Tombomieye mishandled a $1.5 billion investment project during his tenure, blaming him for the project’s shortcomings and financial discrepancies. However, the NDMPRAD has systematically dismantled these accusations, pointing to glaring inconsistencies that suggest the accusers have not done their homework. They argue that the SSYI lacks a basic understanding of how the NNPCL is structured, noting that the group flip-flops on Mr. Tombomieye’s job title—calling him an Executive Vice President of the Downstream sector in one breath and the Upstream sector in the next. The NDMPRAD clarifies that Mr. Tombomieye served exclusively as the EVP (Upstream), a division tasked with exploration and production, which has no administrative oversight over refinery rehabilitations.
Beyond the confusion regarding job titles, the NDMPRAD exposes what it calls “financial illiteracy” within the SSYI’s public statements. The accusers claimed that Nigeria is on the hook for an $8 billion repayment on a $1 billion loan, a assertion that the NDMPRAD labels as both mathematically impossible and commercially illiterate. They explain that crude-backed loans are serviced through transparent, interest-bearing mechanisms, and that crude allocations are merely a commitment of volume rather than an open-ended transfer of wealth. By misrepresenting these standard fiscal arrangements as evidence of corruption or incompetence, the SSYI is accused of creating a sensationalized narrative that ignores the complexity of international energy finance and international debt obligations.
The campaign against the former executives also attempts to weaponize the findings of recent Senate Public Accounts Committee reviews. The SSYI has reportedly framed findings regarding the cumulative ledger entries of the NNPCL—spanning 2017 to 2023—as a “missing money” scandal. The NDMPRAD counters this by explaining that these figures represent gross accounting balances—the intersection of expenses and receivables over six years—rather than cash missing from the national coffers. They emphasize that reputable civil society organizations have already debunked this “missing money” myth, warning that such reckless claims serve only to scare away much-needed foreign investors and destabilize the energy sector by replacing hard data with inflammatory political rhetoric.
Ultimately, the NDMPRAD views these attacks as a descent into “pedestrian conspiracy theories.” They point out that the SSYI has failed to provide a single shred of physical evidence, choosing instead to rely on internet gossip, such as unsubstantiated rumors about executives paying bloggers to remove photographs. The movement argues that if there were genuine grounds for legal concern, the proper channels—such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the Department of State Services (DSS)—would be the appropriate venues for investigation. By relying on mob-like threats and social media outrage rather than substantive documentation, the SSYI is seen as acting in bad faith, aiming to incite public anger against individuals rather than seeking genuine accountability or policy reform.
In closing, the NDMPRAD is making a firm appeal to the public to look past the smoke and mirrors of this smear campaign. They pledge that the youth of the Niger Delta will not be manipulated into becoming pawns for political interests who seek to destroy the careers of those who have served the country. By characterizing the SSYI’s efforts as a “hollow and desperate” grasp at relevance, the NDMPRAD reinforces its commitment to protecting the integrity of public service. Their message is clear: while true accountability is an essential part of governance, the industry must be protected from organized blackmail that prioritizes the destruction of reputations over the advancement of the Nigerian energy sector.