FG Urged To Intervene In Pipeline Security Contract Dispute

A group, Global Peace Movement (GPM) has called on the federal government to intervene in the ongoing dispute over renewal of pipeline security contracts in Delta State.
The president of Global Peace Movement International in the United Kingdom (UK), Dr. Mike Uyi, made the call yesterday in Abuja.

Uyi said the three communities involved in the protection of the pipeline in Delta State – Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo have been living in peace without any problem.

He, however, said a recent report of plans to re-award the contracts threatened the peace in the region.
He said, “The current situation that warranted this world press conference is the renewal of the pipeline security contract by NNPCL, which has alleged that the protection and maintenance of the crude oil and export pipeline currently been executed by PINEL, a company that employed a large number of Itsekiri youths be ceded to an Ijaw company.

“It is on record that these communities have been at peace within themselves without any form of problems. It should also be noted that Itsekiri has 30 miles of the pipeline protection area, while the Ijaws have only 6 miles all in the delineated area with thousands of youths, women, men and the aged.

“We call on Mr. Mele Kyari to take urgent and immediate actions to douse the tension and allow the Ijaw to guard the Ijaw areas and the Itsekiri to guard the Itsekiri territory, ditto with other communities,” he said.