Akure: Leaders and stakeholders from the Niger Delta region have called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure the immediate decentralisation of pipeline and oil and gas infrastructure surveillance contracts across the region. They made the call in an open letter to the President, which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the letter was signed by the President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Dr. Alaye Tari Theophilus, and nine other leaders of the region. The leaders also called for an investigation by anti-graft agencies into the utilisation of funds by the management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme under its current coordinator. They warned against allowing any single non-state actor to exercise unchecked control over Nigeria’s critical oil infrastructure, stating that such an arrangement could pose security risks to the country.
The stakeholders emphasized that the current pipeline surveillance structure had sidelined individuals and groups who supported the Federal Government during the 2015/2016 Niger Delta Avengers crisis. They recalled that several leaders in the region aligned with government efforts at the time to prevent attacks on oil installations and maintain national stability. The leaders expressed concern that those who defended the Nigerian state during the crisis were now being excluded from the present surveillance arrangement, while those who once threatened national assets were allegedly being empowered.
They also raised concerns over the operations of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, alleging unequal treatment among beneficiaries and calling for a probe into the management of the scheme. The stakeholders urged the Federal Government to decentralise pipeline surveillance operations and place them under a state-by-state structure coordinated by the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The leaders, however, said their intervention should not be seen as a threat but as a warning aimed at preventing a return to instability in the Niger Delta region. They highlighted the significant contributions made by various leaders in maintaining stability during past crises and warned against repeating past mistakes.
Other signatories to the letter include Comrade Emmanuel Goteh Bieh, President of the Ogoni Federated Youth; Lord Mammoth Knight, President of the Ibom Youth Council; Chief Henry Assor of the Ikwerre Youth Assembly; Comrade Joseph Etim Antai FICG, National President of the Oro-Obolo Youth Assembly, among others.