Group seeks end to agencies’ offensive on Intels

The National Coordinator of Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC), Chizi Amadike, has called on President Muhamadu Buhari to call on the agencies, and all other agencies of government to order and put an end to the siege mentality against Intels.

In the last one month, Intels has come under intense attacks from some agencies of the government including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and lately, the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA).

According to him, “It has become unfortunate that these government agencies have become willing tools of political persecution against perceived opponents of the present administration”.

“First it was NPA, then FIRS and then OGFZA. Which agency will descend next on Intels? Government agencies should not dabble into politics. They should stop attacking Intels. If they have any issues with the company, such issues can be resolved amicably rather than the media trials they are doing at present.

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“If you observe keenly, you’ll see a common trend in the campaign of calumny against the company. They write letter to the company alleging all manners of offence and then immediately release it to the media.

“This plot to paint the company black is not good for our economy. It is not good for the employees of Intels and it is capable of jeopardizing government’s foreign direct investment drive.

“The federal government and its agencies should be interested in creating enabling environment for businesses to thrive and create jobs. We need as many companies as possible to create jobs in the country, but with the present coordinated attacks on Intels, these agencies are telling the international community that it is not safe to invest in Nigeria,” he said.

NDYC said political risks remain one of the major reasons why foreign investors shun Nigeria, Amadike asked the federal government to reverse the trend, recalling that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently identified political risk as a major factor hindering Nigeria’s economic growth.

The present government must put an end to this. We the youth suffer joblessness when investors stay away from the country,” NDYC averred.