A pan–Niger Delta organization, United Niger Delta Congress (UNDC), has called on the Federal Government to decentralise pipeline surveillance contracts across all oil-bearing ethnic nationalities and host communities of the Niger Delta, in full compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
The national President of UNDC, Julius Mallam-Obi, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, said that pipeline protection should involve indigenous stakeholders from the ethnic nations and communities where these facilities are located, with clear accountability for breaches or sabotage.
He noted that such decentralization would among other things, “strengthen community ownership of national assets; improve intelligence gathering and early warning systems; create employment opportunities for youths and women; reduce inter-ethnic resentment; promote stability across the Niger Delta; improve the protection of Nigeria’s oil revenue.
The group stated that peace built on a monopoly is fragile, while peace built on justice and inclusion is sustainable, saying: “We must also address an issue that has been consistently overlooked: the role of women.
Women in oil-producing communities have borne enormous environmental and economic hardship due to decades of oil exploitation.
Yet they remain largely excluded from opportunities related to protecting their land’s resources.
“When surveillance contracts are decentralized, at least 35 per cent of these opportunities should be allocated to women from oil-producing communities through cooperatives and community-based enterprises. Empowering women strengthens families, stabilizes communities, and promotes long-term peace.”
Mallam-Obi further noted that “Another growing concern is the perception that certain key political positions relating to Niger Delta affairs have effectively become reserved for a single ethnic group, stressing that a notable example is the position of special adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, which has consistently been occupied by individuals from the same ethnic background.
“The Niger Delta is a region of diverse ethnic nationalities with capable and experienced leaders across all communities.
“No ethnic group holds a monopoly on leadership, competence, or patriotism. For the sake of fairness and regional stability, this pattern must change.”
Moreover, the group called for audit of pipeline contracts, noting that “for transparency and investigation, we therefore call for urgent national action on audit of pipeline contracts.
“The federal government must immediately conduct a comprehensive audit of all pipeline surveillance contracts currently in operation;
publish the terms, beneficiaries, and financial scope of these contracts, investigate crude oil losses occurring around export terminals; ensure equitable participation of ethnic nationalities and host communities in surveillance activities.
“We also urge the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives to exercise their constitutional oversight powers by launching a transparent investigation into the pipeline surveillance regime. Nigerians deserve to know who holds these contracts?
“How much public money is involved? Why does oil production remain stagnant despite huge spending?”
The convener of the pan Niger Delta group, Fejiro Oliver, noted that the organization was committed to equity, justice, inclusion, and sustainable development among the oil-producing ethnic nationalities of the region.
