Leaders and stakeholders from the Niger Delta region have called on President Bola Tinubu to decentralise the current pipeline surveillance contracts across the region. In an open letter addressed to the President, the leaders voiced concerns about the current centralized surveillance arrangement, urging for more regional participation in overseeing the nation’s critical oil and gas infrastructure.
The letter, signed by Dr. Alaye Tari Theophilus, President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, and nine other prominent leaders from the region, emphasized the need for a more inclusive approach. The leaders argued that no single non-state actor should hold unchecked operational authority over Nigeria’s most crucial economic infrastructure, such as oil pipelines. They suggested the implementation of a joint supervisory framework that includes security agencies, state coordinators, and recognized community leadership.
“The current structure has sidelined those who stood by the government during the 2015/2016 Niger Delta Avengers crisis, while empowering groups that once posed a threat to national security,” the letter stated.
The stakeholders expressed frustration that leaders who supported the Nigerian state during the Niger Delta Avengers insurgency are now excluded from the current surveillance contracts. They recalled how several leaders, including Senior High Chief Bibopere Ajube, King Michael Ateke Tom, King Dokubo Asari, and Chief Victor Ben Ebikabowei, played critical roles in safeguarding national assets, often at great personal risk.
“At a time when many chose to oppose the state, we stood by Nigeria’s side and ensured that the conflict did not destabilize the region further. Now, the system rewards those who once threatened national stability and sidelines those who protected it,” the leaders argued.
In addition to the pipeline surveillance issue, the leaders raised concerns over the management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, alleging that there is unequal treatment of beneficiaries. They called on the government to launch an investigation into the programme’s administration and to ensure more transparency in its operations.
The Niger Delta leaders were careful to clarify that their call for decentralisation should not be seen as a threat but as a precautionary measure to avoid a return to instability in the region. They referenced the 2015–2016 period when the Niger Delta Avengers began attacking pipelines, severely disrupting oil production, and causing a sharp decline in Nigeria’s crude oil output.
“We are writing to tell you that the Nigeria we protected is now treating us as its enemies,” the letter concluded. “We held the line in 2016, and we are asking you to hold it now.”
Other signatories to the letter include prominent figures such as Comrade Emmanuel Goteh Bieh, President of the Ogoni Federated Youth; Lord Mammoth Knight, President of the Ibom Youth Council; Chief Henry Assor, of the Ikwerre Youth Assembly; and Comrade Joseph Etim Antai, National President of the Oro-Obolo Youth Assembly. These leaders, along with others, have collectively urged the federal government to act swiftly in decentralising the surveillance contracts and ensuring that regional leaders are given their due role in securing Nigeria’s oil infrastructure.
