Abuja—The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Abuja/Northern Nigeria Chapter has debunked allegations made against the Executive Vice President, Upstream of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Adokiye Tombomieye.
Mangrovepen.ng gathered that a group, the Niger Delta Youths and Stakeholders Congress in a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused Tombomieye of engaging in crude oil theft and other economic crimes.
The group alleged that Tombomieye was involved in crude oil theft and instigated youths to stage a mega protest in the region.
The group said Tombomieye plotted the above moves to create room for negotiations for his emergence as the Chief Executive Officer of the company.
But responding to the group’s petition, the IYC, Abuja/Northern Nigeria Chapter in a statement through its Secretary, Comrade Oyeinkediton Churchill stated that the group is only bent on tarnishing the hard-earned reputation of the Executive Vice President, Upstream because he has refused to give in to their blackmails.
Churchill said the insinuation that Tombomieye is involved in oil bunkering and instigating protest in the Niger Delta is a figment of imagination by the said group.
“Engr Adokiye Tombomieye has over 30 years of experience working in the oil and gas industry without blemish, making attempts to ridicule his name would be met with strict resistance from the Ijaw Youth Council,” he said.
According to Churchill, the grievances of the group have to do with Tombomieye not allowing them to participate in the NNPCL youth and stakeholders’ Concessional Empowerment schemes, local Content benefits and contract placement in the upstream subsidiaries.
“There are due processes in giving out such contracts and empowerment which the Niger Delta Youths and Stakeholders Congress wants to ignore by making frivolous accusations just to get the attention of the EVP through blackmail.
“Engr. Adokiye Tombomieye has shown uprightness in all his dealings in the oil and gas industry having kickstarted his career at the Eleme petrochemical company limited as a production engineer in 1991.
“Through his dedication to service, he rose in ranks as Deputy Manager of the Polyethylene/Butene-1 plant and became General Manager of Commercial in the Crude Oil Marketing Division in 2015.
“In 2019 he went on to occupy the position of Group General Manager before being appointed by Mr. President and in 2020 became the Chief Executive Officer Upstream,” the IYC said.
The statement noted that it was because of his diligence and competence that President Muhammadu Buhari elevated Adokiye from being COO Upstream to the Executive Vice President Upstream NNPCL.
The IYC admonished the group to look elsewhere with their frivolous accusations or be made to face the law through legal means.
“If Engr. Adokiye decides to be too lenient towards his kith and kin it should not be taken for cowardice. We would leave no stone unturned if this blackmail persists.”
