The Coalition for Good Governance and Rule of Law, an umbrella body of no fewer than 100 civil society organizations, has vowed to lead a protest against the leadership of the Petroleum Equalization Fund Management Board.
The coalition said it is unhappy with Ahmed Bobboi, Executive Secretary of the board over what they termed lopsided appointment, abuse of office.
The development is coming barely one week after the New Initiative for Credible Leadership (NICREL) had demanded the resignation of Bobboi, alleging that of the 200 persons hired, only 17 persons were from the oil-producing states.
The group said the recently conducted recruitment exercise under the watch of Bobboi, deliberately entrenched a regime of nepotism where out of 200 persons offered employment, only 17 persons were hired from certain oil-producing states, while 173 persons came from non-oil producing states.
In a letter addressed to the ES and signed by Ikpa Isaac, Convener/ President, asked Bobboi to tow the path of honor by resigning his position as the executive secretary of the Petroleum Equalization Fund with immediate effect.
“The leadership of the Coalition for Good Governance and Rule of Law is writing you this letter given the recent events in your agency that is capable of defeating the principles of social cohesion in Nigeria.
“We are constrained to remind you that the Petroleum Equalization Fund as a key government parastatal in the oil sector in Nigeria ought to be circumspect in the conduct of its activities that should reflect the spirit of nationalism and a sense of belonging for all Nigerians regardless of religious or ethnic affiliations.
“The Coalition for Good Governance and Rule of Law is constrained to remind you that your actions in recent times speak volumes of an individual that is insensitive to the plurality of Nigeria that is meant to be all-encompassing and to carry everyone along in the course of our national life.
“You may wish to be reminded that the recent recruitment exercise by your organization indeed is the height of insensitivity to the national interest in Nigeria and an indication that your motives are geared towards fulfilling the whims and caprices of a section of the country and against our collective interests as a country.
“It is on record that in the recently conducted recruitment exercise under your watch, you deliberately entrenched a regime of nepotism where out of 200 persons offered employment on July 13 and 14, 2020, only 17 persons were hired from certain oil-producing states, while 173 persons came from non-oil producing states.
“This is an anomaly that indicates that your leadership is disjointed and not in tune with the peculiarities of the time that requires creating a level playing ground for all Nigerians to actualize dreams.
“We wish to remind you that you did not only abuse your office, you also failed to implement the mandate of the Nigerian people by taking sides with a certain section of the country to the detriment of other parts of the country.
“Your actions were based on favoritism and ethnicity at the expense of meritocracy which does argue well for the continued peace and unity in Nigeria. That under your watch some regions of the country were shortchanged and denied their quota in the recruitment exercise is despicable and capable of setting the country on a dangerous path of disintegration.
“In all honesty, we wish to state that from the above, you do not have the moral right to continue to remain in office as the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Equalization Fund and as such we are consequently demanding your resignation from office with immediate effect.
“We are by this letter asking you to tow the path of honor by resigning your position as the executive secretary of the Petroleum Equalization Fund with immediate effect.”
