By Chiamaka Ekwuwe
The Coalition of Niger Delta Civil Society Organisations (CNDCSOs) has given the Federal Government until September 1, 2026, to address alleged irregularities and conflict of interest concerns surrounding the award of two oil blocks, or face protests in parts of the Niger Delta and Abuja.
The coalition, comprising more than 35 civil society organisations, community stakeholders and concerned citizens, conveyed the ultimatum in a letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The groups, in the letter signed by Comrade Awipi Lawson, spokesman of the coalition, said the concerns followed meetings in Port Harcourt, where participants raised questions over the alleged award of two oil blocks to persons purportedly connected to a top oil industry official.
The coalition stressed that the allegations remained unproven and called for an investigation rather than any presumption of guilt.
“We emphasize that these are allegations which require transparent, independent and credible investigation,” the coalition said.
“We are not asking Your Excellency to pronounce any person guilty without due process. Rather, we are demanding that transactions involving strategic national petroleum assets be subjected to the highest standards of transparency, accountability and legality.”
According to the group, “where a senior official responsible for decisions concerning valuable public petroleum assets is alleged to have been involved in transactions benefiting friends, associates or persons connected to him, the circumstances warrant disclosure, independent scrutiny and appropriate investigation.”
The coalition demanded clarification on the identities of the beneficiaries, the location and nature of the oil blocks, the legal basis for their award, and whether the process was competitive, transparent and properly documented.
It also called for clarification on whether any beneficiary has a personal, business or financial relationship with the top oil industry official and whether such relationships had any bearing on the transactions.
The CSOs urged the Federal Government to mandate relevant government agencies, including the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation and the Bureau of Public Procurement, to examine the process and make their findings public.
The coalition further urged President Tinubu to ensure that relevant documents and records concerning the transactions were preserved to facilitate independent scrutiny.
On the planned protest, the coalition said it intended to commence peaceful demonstrations in the Niger Delta states and Abuja from September 1, 2026, if its concerns were not adequately addressed.
It assured the Federal Government that it did not advocate violence or the disruption of critical national infrastructure.
“Our preference is for the concerns to be addressed through transparent investigation, public disclosure and institutional accountability,” the group said.
The coalition also urged the Presidency to establish a credible channel of engagement with Niger Delta civil society representatives before the September 1 deadline.
The coalition also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the award of the oil blocks, particularly the circumstances surrounding the beneficiaries, the process through which the assets were awarded and any possible conflict of interest arising from the transactions.
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