Southwest Nigerian students have stepped into the spotlight, voicing strong backing for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) as the organization faces what it describes as a smear campaign by internal and external actors.

The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Zone D, dismissed the alleged attacks on NNPC as desperate moves by those threatened by ongoing reforms in the oil and gas industry.

According to the group’s coordinator, Comrade Owolewa Taiwo, the petroleum sector is undergoing long-overdue changes, and the days of systemic corruption and inefficiency should be left behind for good. He said students would not sit back while “a few disgruntled individuals” try to derail the progress being made under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Taiwo warned that if the alleged attempts to undermine NNPC persist, the student body is prepared to take action through mass mobilization — promising peaceful but firm resistance.

He framed the controversy as a classic case of entrenched interests resisting accountability, saying, “This is corruption pushing back — but we’re ready to push harder with truth and unity.”

NANS called on civil society, the media, and other progressive groups to rally behind the reforms, emphasizing the importance of shielding critical national institutions from destabilization.

In closing, the group praised the NNPC leadership for staying the course and reaffirmed its support for the administration’s vision of a transparent and efficient energy sector.