By Simon Oyadongha

YENAGOA—NIGER Delta Ex-Agitators Forum, NDEF, has condemned what it described as an ongoing smear campaign targeted at the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu.

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President of NDEF, Mr. Amaibi Hornby, who said this yesterday in Yenagoa, added that the allegations made against Kachikwu were false and baseless.

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He said those behind the allegations were not comfortable with the policy of transparency introduced by the minister in the oil sector.

Hornby warned various groups behind the attacks to to desist from the act, adding that it was unacceptable to the Niger Delta region.

He said recent threat by one of the groups engaged in the smear campaign to embark on a protest to ground the operations of the Petroleum Resources Ministry over Kachikwu’s degree classification was provocative.

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In addition, he urged the groups to leave Kachikwu alone, adding that no amount of distraction would blackmail him to succumb to intimidation.

His words: “We are very concerned that a man who has been exemplary has been exposed to attacks by those who feel aggrieved by his policies.”