N’Delta stakeholders backs Diri’ on pipeline surveillance decentralization

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

Stakeholders from the six States of the Niger Delta region have welcomed the position of the Bayelsa State Government under the leadership of Senator Douye Diri on the need to review and decentralise the crude oil and gas pipeline surveillance contracts awarded by the federal government across states in the Niger Delta.

According to the stakeholders, made up of Traditional Rulers, Community leaders, Women and Youth leaders under the aegis of the Movement for Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta, MSDND, the position of the Bayelsa State Government and other state governors from the region on the need for review and decentralization of the surveillance contract is to avoid ineptitude and increase collective protection of the nation’s assets and resources.

The National Coordinator of the MSDND, Chief Ayebatekena Olodi, said, in a statement made available via electronic mail, the plot to single handedly hijack the contract has dashed been by the position of the Bayelsa State Government, which called for a review and decentralization of the crude oil and gas pipeline surveillance contracts to include non-state actors across the region.

The statement read in part, ‘’The current arrangement could pose greater security challenges if not properly regulated. Recall that we have never been against the renewal of the contract but insisted that the Federal Government should decentralise the award of all pipeline surveillance and maintenance contracts across the different States in the Niger Delta region to reputable ex-militant leaders, who worked with the President and supported his plans for our nation from the onset during the primaries.

“We have said, through a series of letters to the President and through news publications, that there are capable leaders across the various states in the Niger Delta region that probably would have done a better job and produced better results in securing our nation’s crude oil and gas assets.”

“We have also shown proof through key data about Nigeria’s crude oil exports from OPEC and other sources, which clearly revealed that Nigeria was producing and exporting more crude oil before the over $1.3 billion pipeline surveillance contracts were awarded to these selected individuals, and during the one-year contract period of their contract, our production and sales of crude oil decreased.”

“The position of the State Government and the earlier positions by various groups and key stakeholders across the region are in unison. The Bayelsa Govt position simply stated that the needed review of the current pipeline surveillance arrangements should include stakeholders from across the region in order to create room for more inclusiveness.”