Niger Delta Youth Coalition Protests NNPCL's Neglect, Seeks Financial Investment for Community Development

Niger Delta Youth Coalition Protests NNPCL's Neglect, Seeks Financial Investment for Community Development

... they seek to address widespread health issues linked to environmental pollution from oil activities - Niger Delta youths 

By Victor Oliajide 

A coalition of youth groups from the Niger Delta region has embarked on a series of protests, demanding accountability and financial support from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and her subsidiary NNPCL Foundation.

 The coalition, representing diverse communities across the region, gathered in Abuja on Tuesday, highlighting longstanding grievances over neglect and marginalization.

Carrying banners inscribed with slogans such as “Niger Delta Deserves Better” and “Invest in Our Youth,” the activists drew attention to the dire socioeconomic conditions plaguing their communities. Leaders of the coalition assert that despite the Niger Delta being home to Nigeria's oil wealth, local residents have yet to see significant improvements in infrastructure, education, agriculture and employment opportunities.

“While our land produces the wealth that fuels the nation, our people suffer in poverty,” said coalition leader Comrade Omoko Vinenty. “It is time for NNPCL to step up and take responsibility. We are calling on them to invest in our communities, to support youth empowerment programs, and to help restore our environment, which has been devastated by oil exploration.”

The coalition is particularly concerned about the high rates of unemployment and underemployment facing young people in the region.

 They are urging NNPCL foundation whose statutory responsibility is towards communities welfare to allocate funds specifically for initiatives that will create jobs, improve educational facilities, improve agriculture and address widespread health issues linked to environmental pollution from oil activities.

Protesters also expressed their frustration over broken promises from both NNPCL and NNPCL foundation and the government regarding community development projects.

 “For years, we have heard promises of investments and support, but these have yet to materialize. We want action, not rhetoric,” said another member of the coalition, Comrade momos Wilberforce 

NNPCL is yet to respond. It is the company's duty to march words with actions that focus on corporate social responsibilities.

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