Africa-Press – Nigeria. A group of lawyers and members of civil society organisations (CSOs) protested in Abuja on Monday, demanding the immediate resignation of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engineer Farouk Ahmed.
The protesters, under the aegis of Concerned Lawyers and Civil Society in Defence of Public Trust, said the NMDPRA boss should resign over alleged abuse of office.
The protesters, who gathered at the NMDPRA headquarters, also alleged that Ahmed’s actions amounted to abuse of power.
Besides Ahmed’s immediate resignation, the protesters also demanded a full-scale investigation into the NMDPRA’s financial records.
They also demanded Ahmed’s prosecution under the Public Procurement Act and the Code of Conduct Bureau.
The protesters further demanded that any funds recovered from the proposed probe should be channelled to rehabilitate schools in Nigeria’s most disadvantaged oil-producing communities.
The lawyers and CSOs warned that if the demands are ignored, they will occupy every relevant space to demand justice and accountability.
“This protest is about justice. It is about drawing the line in the sand and saying, ‘No more abuse of public trust. No more luxury for the few while the many wallow in deprivation. No more wasting of public funds while Nigerian university students are stuck at home due to strikes, poor infrastructure and lack of funding,” the leader of the protesters, Barrister Martins Adaji said.
They urged President Bola Tinubu to take action and show that his government is serious about transparency and equity
“Today’s protest is not the end. If these demands are ignored, we will return stronger, louder, and more resolute. Nigerian youths, mothers, and civil society will occupy every relevant space to say: enough is enough.
“Let it be known, Engr. Farouk Ahmed must step down now. Not tomorrow. Not next week,” the protesters added.
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