N’Delta groups bicker over decentralisation of pipeline surveillance contracts

A day after supporters of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited staged a protest against the decentralisation of pipeline surveillance contracts, a coalition of Niger Delta groups, yesterday, stormed the National Assembly, demanding the urgent decentralisation of pipeline surveillance contracts to stakeholders across oil-producing states in the region.

The groups, including the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities (CNDEN) and the United Niger Delta Congress (UNDC), among others, also submitted a petition to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The petition, jointly signed by the President-General of the coalition and President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Dr Alaye Theophilus; President of the Ibom Youth Council, Mammoth Knight, and President of the Ogoni Federated Youth, Emmanuel Bieh, among others, called for a more inclusive framework in pipeline security operations.

Addressing journalists during the protest, Alaye described the Niger Delta as the economic backbone of Nigeria, noting that the region hosts the oil and gas resources that generate the bulk of the nation’s revenue.

He said the protection of pipeline infrastructure is not only a regional concern but also a critical national security priority. Alaye clarified that the petition was not targeted at any specific company, including Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Maton Engineering, or Pipeline Infrastructure Limited, nor intended to discredit existing contractors.

“This petition is driven by the urgent need to correct a structural imbalance in the current pipeline surveillance framework, where responsibilities appear concentrated in the hands of a few individuals or entities, to the exclusion of wider Niger Delta stakeholders and ethnic nationalities,” he said.

MEANWHILE, coordinators of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited from Itsekiri communities threw their weight behind High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, Chairman of the company.

They urged President Bola Tinubu to disregard calls for the decentralisation of the pipeline surveillance contracts.

In a statement jointly signed by coordinators across various Itsekiri clusters, including Mr Ebisam Fenemigho (Ugbogboro), Mr Fidelis Ete Lori (Opumami/Obodo), Mr Richard Arubi (Ugborodo), Mr Emmanuel Demeyin (Deghele), and Chief Priest Roland Oti Yomere (Omadino), among others, at a press briefing yesterday, they described the agitation as self-serving and capable of destabilising the Niger Delta region.

They argued that those behind the calls neither represent the interests of the people nor possess the mandate to speak for communities in the oil-rich region, insisting that their actions are driven by “selfish motives and personal gain.”