The Mayor of Urhoboland and renowned ex-militant leader, Eshanakpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro, has declared that no amount of conspiracy to pull down the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, will succeed.
This statement from the Akpodoro followed a protest staged recently at the Utako headquarters of NUPRC by some of its workers, describing those involved as a “handful of mischief makers” who were sponsored by known faces over unhealthy rivalry in the NNPCL.
Akpodoro, at a world press conference held Thursday in Abuja, dismissed the protest even as he disclosed that no amount of conspiracy can unseat Komolafe.
He noted that Komolafe has exuded enough expertise that thrust up the commission since his appointment to the helm of the upstream sector of the Nigerian Petroleum industry.
The gang-up against Komolafe, the Mayor stated, was obvious, adding that those who see the chief executive officer as threat were behind the protest aimed at embarrassing a man he described as a top-notch in the management of Petroleum industry.
Akodoro said: “the focus of the protest by a handful of malfeasants being sponsored by senior officials of the NNPCL who are bent on getting rid of the Commissioner to pave the way for themselves to perpetrate looting that Komolafe has been impeding since his appointment.”
Komolafe, according to Akpodoro, since becoming the CEO of the Commission has put in innovative ideas to the management of the petroleum industry, a development he noted, send jitters to the spines of “timid souls” who he said were jealous of his growth and achievements in the industry.
“Those behind the protests are known and at the right time, the youths of the Niger Delta region will go after those enemies of progress who overrate themselves in delusion of grandure. Komolafe has been a blessing to the NNPC and even his well wishers have been making frantic calls to the current administration to beam searchlight on this technocrat with a view to assign higher duties to him.
“While Komolafe aims higher, his detractors are vainly chasing shadows thinking they can unseat a man whom God has placed. We are behind him and nobody can intimidate, blackmail, villify or threaten him with industrial action. If those inciting protests, damaging lies and rumours against Komolafe do not desist, we shall name and shame them soon,” the Mayor stated.
He called on the management of NNPCL to ensure no evil befalls the Chief Executive Officer of NUPRC, saying that the oil company owed the citizens the responsibilities of stabilising the economy particularly the energy crisis bedeveling the nation rather than allowing protests targeting a single individual in a clear case of blackmail.
