Pipeline Surveillance Contract Crisis: Group Seeks Tinubu’s Intervention

The Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND) has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the growing tensions over pipeline surveillance contracts in the Niger Delta.

It warned that the President’s failure to act decisively could threaten regional stability and reopen fragile fault lines in the oil-rich region.

MOSIEND, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, said the controversy must not be dismissed as a mere struggle over economic interests, insisting that the dispute is rooted in unresolved expectations dating back to the Niger Delta disarmament process initiated under late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

The statement, signed by the group’s President, Kennedy West, said that pipeline surveillance has become contentious not because of its financial value, but because it remains one of the few visible and accessible economic spaces through which former agitator leaders and local stakeholders can participate in the oil and gas economy.

“The present agitation is deeply tied to the sacrifices made by ex-agitator leaders who embraced peace during the amnesty era,” the statement said. “Many of them abandoned immediate financial alternatives, including gun buy-back options, in favour of long-term peace and stability, with the expectation that legitimate channels of inclusion would eventually emerge”, it said.

MOSIEND noted that while many former foot soldiers were absorbed into reintegration stipend schemes, several leaders who helped stabilise the region were left without structured economic compensation, making pipeline surveillance one of the few practical avenues to address deferred expectations.

The organisation warned that reducing current demands to opportunism would amount to a dangerous misunderstanding of the political and psychological realities at play.

“This is not an ordinary policy disagreement. It is shaped by history, sacrifice, memory, and perceived entitlement. Mishandling it could fracture the fragile peace that has held in the Niger Delta for over a decade,” the statement said.

The group further stressed that the issue carries political consequences beyond economics, describing the Niger Delta as both Nigeria’s economic backbone and a strategic electoral bloc whose cohesion must not be taken for granted ahead of the 2027 political cycle.

Calling for presidential leadership, MOSIEND said only Tinubu possesses the authority needed to broker a balanced resolution that is credible to all stakeholders.

It outlined three principles for resolving the impasse: broader inclusion of excluded stakeholders, structured participation anchored on accountability and efficiency, and visible fairness in allocation and implementation.

MOSIEND also urged institutions such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Ijaw National Congress, and the Office of the National Security Adviser to work collaboratively toward a negotiated framework that protects both security operations and regional peace.

“No group should monopolise pipeline surveillance, and no legitimate stakeholder should be entirely excluded. The path forward lies in negotiated balance, not absolute control,” it said.

MOSIEND concluded that a timely and well-calibrated presidential pronouncement, backed by an inclusive framework, would not only calm tensions but also reaffirm the federal government’s commitment to justice, fairness, and lasting peace in the Niger Delta.