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Ijaw Publishers’ Forum (IPF) backs Niger Delta stakeholders’ call for removal of NCDMB Executive Secretary Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe.
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Allegations of incompetence, abuse of power, and ethnic favoritism raised against Ogbe.
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IPF threatens mass protest in Bayelsa if demands ignored.
The Ijaw Publishers’ Forum (IPF) has aligned with Niger Delta stakeholders in demanding the removal of the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe, citing poor performance, abuse of power, and alleged ethnic bias.
In a statement signed by its national president Comrade Ozobo Austin, spokesman Comrade Kagbala Ezekiel, and secretary Comr Tare Magei on Friday, the IPF accused Ogbe of undermining President Bola Tinubu’s renewed agenda.
“The Executive Secretary has failed to promote the renewed agenda of President Bola Tinubu but instead uses his office to advance an Itsekiri agenda,” the statement said.
The IPF further alleged that Ogbe had contributed to the fresh crisis in Warri, turning the NCDMB office into what the group called the “Olu of Warri private company,” where only Itsekiris are engaged and empowered.
According to the organization, Ogbe has demonstrated incompetence in promoting Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry, prioritising ethnic interests over national development.
The IPF called on President Bola Tinubu to remove Ogbe from office, emphasising that “his removal would help to restore confidence in the NCDMB and ensure that the organization is able to effectively promote Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.”
The group urged the president to implement a monitoring system for the NCDMB to ensure that public officials work in the nation’s best interest rather than advancing personal or ethnic agendas.
The statement highlighted that the NCDMB was established “to maximize the participation of Nigerians in oil and gas activities, integrating oil-producing communities into the value chain, fostering institutional collaboration, building local capacity, and linking the oil and gas sector to other sectors of the economy.”
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However, the IPF claimed that Ogbe has refused to engage and build capacity among Ijaw and Urhobo stakeholders, instead allegedly using government funds to support ethnic militia groups against these communities.
The council warned that Ogbe’s actions “now pose several threats to the peace in Niger Delta,” accusing him of neglecting his duties to monitor and evaluate industry operators to ensure compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
The IPF concluded by threatening a “mother of all protests to shut down the local content head office in Bayelsa to force him out of office” if President Tinubu fails to act on their demand.