Ex-militants Call for Decentralisation of Pipeline Surveillance Contracts

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Ilaje ex- militant group, the Niger Delta Coastline Vanguard (NDCV)  yesterday  demanded immediate decentralisation of the pipeline surveillance contracts by President Bola Tinubu to ensure total peace and security in the Niger Delta region.

The group, while expressing that it would be unfair for other ex-militant group from another state and ethnic nationals to be given the contact of surveillance of pipelines in their area, said the review of the contracts had become imperative for ex-militants to perform their surveillance and monitoring duties in areas they are familiar with the culture, traditions and topology of the people and their terrains.

The NDCV said they would resist attempts to foist ex-militants from South-east or South-south on the South-west axis of the coastline which comprises mainly Ilaje and Ese-Odo local government areas of Ondo state.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the President of the Niger Delta Coastline Vanguard,  Job Omotunwa (alias General Job) urged President Tinubu to immediately review the contracts for the surveillance of pipelines and decentralise the works for inclusion, capacity, justice and fairness for all stakeholders.

Omotunwa, who  was represented  the legal adviser of the group, Joseph Olamide, explained that the Ilaje areas cover 120 kilometres coastline and 80 per cent of waterways with oil production capacity of 80,000 barrels per day and 15 major oil companies operating in the areas.

He was flanked at the briefing by other Executive members of the group such as the Secretary General, Joseph Olamide Elias, Chief Ajiroba Lucky,  Assistant Secretary and Public Relations Officer, Ariyo Adeolu.

He said that it would be unfair to keep ex-militants in Ilaje idle while those in Bayelsa and Rivers were imposed on them, emphasising that it would not be in the interest of the Amnesty Programme which was launched to accommodate all stakeholders.

Omotunwa equally urged President Tinubu to allow Ilaje ex-militants to handle the contracts surveillance and monitoring to cover Ondo, Ogun and Lagos states littoral corridors.

He claimed that the NDCV has the capability, capacity, the required intelligence and human resources to work with Federal government security agencies in the surveillance systems,  stressing that illegal oil bunkering, vandalism and sabotage would be a thing of the past.

Omotunwa  decried that imposing ex-militants from other parts of the country on their Kingdom would expose their people to external aggressors, insisting that it would be far better for government to give the opportunity to people familiar with the terrain.

He said his group had been actively involved in rescue of kidnapped victims, while it had also carried out arrest of oil bunkering suspects in conjunction with operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).