Include Other Ethnic Groups In Niger Delta Pipeline Contracts—Stakeholders

Stakeholders from the Niger-Delta region have called for the expansion of the pipeline surveillance contract to include all major ethnic groups in the region.

A representative of Stakeholders for the Betterment of the Niger Delta and human rights activist, Fejiro Oliver, who stated this in Abuja yesterday, said the major pipeline contracts in the region including the Tantita Security Services and the Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited owned by Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo and Matthew Tolangha respectively are all Ijaw by tribe.

Oliver stated that in order to balance the contracts, all major ethnic groups in the region should be considered to secure the pipelines in their region.

He said, “My position is that if this contract for pipeline surveillance must continue, let every tribe manage and handle pipelines that pass through their localities and areas, and not allow only companies owned by Ijaw persons to manage the entire pipelines in the Niger Delta. If this won’t be the case, without fear of death, I will continue to call on the federal government to cancel the contracts and allow the Nigerian Navy naturally charged with such duties and the civil defence to manage it solely.

After all, even in the case of the Nigerian Local Content Act, it was to protect the local content.

“The act mandates that first consideration be given to Nigerian companies, goods, services, and personnel in all projects within the oil and gas industry. It aims to develop local capacity by requiring at least 51 per cent equity share by Nigerians for companies to be considered indigenous.

“If this is done for foreign companies coming to do business in Nigeria, why should the local business of protecting our pipelines in the Niger Delta be handed over to persons from the Ijaw ethnic nationalities when the Niger Delta area is not made up of only them? I do not understand how PINL owned by the Olu of Warri, Tantita Security Services owned by Tompolo and Maton Engineering Limited pockets over $1 billion annually in the name of pipeline surveillance when even our Navy does not have such budget annually.”

Oliver said his life was being threatened because of his stand against the pipeline contracts.

He said, “Following my exposition on the pipeline surveillance contracts being solely handled by three major companies whose owners are all from the Ijaw ethnic nationality, my life has been in danger, and there has been a series of threats, and now the attack on my life and property.”