By Our Correspondent
The federal government has been called upon not to re-award all the pipeline surveillance jobs in the entire Niger Delta to one man.
A sociocultural group operating under the aegis of Southern Ijaw Forum who made the call in an open letter to the President said “this is the time to share it among the major stakeholders so that they can cover the whole area to put an end to oil theft,”
The group asked the President not to re-award pipeline surveillance contracts to the current beneficiaries whose contracts have expired, but rather decentralize it across board for all major stakeholders in the Niger Delta struggle.
It said this is because Nigeria is not making any progress at all in the fight against oil theft, pipeline vandalization and illegal refining of petroleum products.
In a statement issued to newsmen on Monday, the chairman of the Forum, Comrade Timothy Amadiowei, hinged the failure on the federal government’s refusal to heed wise counsel from the beginning, saying that this resulted in oil theft under the cover of surveillance activities, brewing crisis in the Niger Delta, and loss of innocent lives in illegal detention centres – acts that are capable of smearing the image of the Nigerian government at the international level.
Amadiowei said the Muhammadu Buhari-led government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) were made to believe the illusion that one man is king of the Niger Delta and that awarding the pipeline surveillance contract to him would automatically end the war against oil theft.
He said this fairytale is what made the federal government to neglect the expertise of other renowned freedom fighters in the Niger Delta, and awarded the contract to one man alone to secure pipelines in the territories of other ex-agitators who have paid their dues and worked so hard to ensure peace and political stability in the region but were later pushed aside.
Amadiowei reminded the nation that it is not only the current beneficiaries that worked for the APC government, and it is very unfair that after major stakeholders like Alhaji Asari Dokubo and Endurance Amagbein (just to mention a few) have worked so hard for the APC government, they are neglected and what should have been shared evenly amongst the ex-militants for equity and fairness was given to one man who has refused to carry people along.
According to him, the federal government is winning the fight against oil theft only on the news, but in reality, the illegal business is thriving daily – with most filling stations selling only adulterated fuel.
He urged President Bola Tinubu, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mr. Bashir Ojulari, and the National Security Adviser, Nihu Ribadu, to take the bold step in correcting the errors made by the past administration, and yield to the demand of the Niger Delta people that the pipeline surveillance contracts be decentralized and shared to all deserving stakeholders.
Amadiowei urged the federal government not to engage in shadowboxing when help is available.
He said, “The only solution to oil theft and illegal refining of petroleum products is decentralization, because nobody is happy with the anomalies on ground.”
“Every stakeholder is angry with the current arrangement, how can one man from Delta State whose kingdom comprises only 8 communities be awarded a surveillance contract to secure pipelines in the territories of other stakeholders as in the case with Bayelsa State?”
“Carry everybody along, and you’ll see the difference, and I can tell you boldly that there are renowned ex-agitators who have the answers the government is seeking, but they are just watching the federal government struggle because the government has failed to approach them for help.”
“If you think you’ve seen pipeline security, then wait until the likes of Alhaji Asari Dokubo, King Ateke Tom and Endurance Amagbein, who understand the Niger Delta terrain more than anybody else, come into the picture with what they have to offer.”
“And so we are joining the host of other Niger Delta stakeholders who have seen that the only way to win this fight is decentralization and bringing everyone onboard.”
“Let everybody secure their own domains, because if anybody is doing illegal bunkering in my community, I know them and I know how to deal with them, but a stranger does not know them and so it’s difficult to stop them.”
“If you are from Delta State, stay in Delta and secure the pipelines in your area, if you are from Rivers State, stay in Rivers and secure pipelines there, if you are from Bayelsa, stay there and secure pipelines there, likewise the other states producing crude oil and gas.”
