By Lukman Olabiyi
The Civil Society Coalition for Mandate Protection, (CSC-MAP) yesterday took campaign against proliferation of fire arms to United States (US), British and German’s embassies in Lagos State.
The protesters are pleading with the President of the United States, Mr Joe Biden, the British Prime Minister, Mr Rishi Sunak and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz to use their relationship with the Federal Government of Nigeria to end consistent award of oil pipeline protection contracts to ex-militants
The protesters asked the Western nations to impress on the Nigerian government to stop the award of oil pipeline to ex-militants saying the deal by the Nigerian authorities is a recipe for armed conflict in the Niger-Delta.
The coalition was led by their officials, Mr Popoola Ajayi, Nagbari Williams, Adeleye Taiwo, Mahmud Nasir and Fred Ojinika.
The members of the coalition were received by officials of the foreign missions who accepted the protest letters from them.
On issue of awarding contract to ex-militants, the group stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done the same thing by renewing the contract worth N40b for an ex-militant adding that it is widely suspected that ex-militants  have been using the funds from pipeline oil protection to import illicit arms into Nigeria. This should be expected from someone whose professed ideology is armed struggle.
Copies of the letters submitted to the embassies  read in part “your country is also a member of the United Nations, (UN) and a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council. It is our humble opinion that you can and should use your position to influence critical problems that threaten peace and stability anywhere in the world.
“That as the leader of one of the most influential countries in the world, and as part of your obligation to protect the world from arms prolifieration and human destruction, should please impress on the President of Nigeria to immediately terminate the award of oil pipeline protection contract to any militant;
“That your country should influence the Organisation of Petroleum Producing Countries, (OPEC) to isolate Nigeria as the country continues to give such a monumental contract to a man associated with the importation and distribution of illicit arms in Nigeria;
“That your country should impress on the United Nations Security Council should impress on the Nigerian government to stop the award of pipeline contracts to people linked in the past or present to armed insurgency in Nigeria”.