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Host communities along the Eastern Gas Pipeline Network have issued a two-week ultimatum to Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to settle three months’ outstanding payments owed to surveillance contractors and community stakeholders.
The ultimatum was contained in a press statement issued by a cross-section of traditional rulers, community leaders and stakeholders along the pipeline corridor, read by His Royal Majesty, the King of Ahoada, Eze Peter Wagbara (CP rtd).
The communities also demanded inclusion in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, alleging exclusion from scholarship, youth and women empowerment initiatives enjoyed by other host communities.
While commending PINL for promoting community participation in pipeline surveillance, the leaders said it was difficult to understand why payments due to surveillance guards and stakeholders had remained outstanding for three consecutive months.
“We consider this intervention necessary in view of the growing frustration among our people, despite their continued commitment to protecting critical gas pipeline infrastructure within our communities,” they said.
They noted that surveillance guards have continued to provide local presence and vigilance to prevent vandalism and sabotage, but have been left without pay, causing anxiety and uncertainty.
“These obligations are not merely financial transactions; they represent commitments upon which the surveillance arrangement and the livelihoods of many people depend. The surveillance guards have families and responsibilities. They depend on the timely payment of their earnings to meet basic needs,” the statement said.
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The host communities warned that prolonged delay could undermine goodwill and confidence painstakingly built between host communities, PINL and NNPCL.
On CSR, the leaders said Eastern Gas Pipeline host communities have not enjoyed comparable access to scholarship opportunities, youth empowerment, women empowerment and other development interventions being implemented in other communities under PINL’s framework.
“This situation has created a genuine sense of exclusion among our people, particularly when they are expected to contribute to the security of critical national infrastructure without receiving comparable opportunities for social and economic development,” they stated.
The communities therefore demanded immediate reconciliation and payment of all verified outstanding surveillance contractor and guard payments covering the past three months, settlement of stakeholder obligations, resumption of regular payments, integration into CSR programmes and formal engagement with recognised traditional rulers on a payment schedule.
They stressed that the statement was not intended to undermine operations of PINL or NNPCL, but was a necessary appeal for fairness and accountability.
“Our communities have keyed into the vision of community-based pipeline surveillance. We remain committed to peaceful engagement and constructive dialogue. However, the patience of our people must not be mistaken for an absence of legitimate concerns,” they added.
