Ex-agitators of the Niger Delta region have threatened unrest and crisis in the region of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) did not include indigenous companies from the region in its recent award of pipeline maintenance contracts.
NNPCL had recently awarded new contracts to four companies northern, including two downstream firms, for the rehabilitation of the country’s pipelines.
Reports have it that the companies are A.A RANO Nigeria Limited, Oilserv Limited, Macready Oil & Gas Service Company Limited, and MRS Oil Nigeria Plc. They were said to have emerged as preferred bidders for the maintenance of the pipelines, through the build, operate, and transfer financing model to facilitate crude supply to the refineries and products evacuation from them.
The pipeline network consists of 4,315km of multi-product pipelines and 701km of crude oil pipelines, interconnecting 22 fuel depots, the country’s four refineries, and the jetties at Atlas Cove and Warri. The award of the contract had sparked an uproar.
The ex-Niger militants under the auspices of the Coalition of Ex-agitators of Niger Delta (CEND) described as insensitive, provocative and disobedient to local content provisions, the NNPCL’s award of the contract.
CEND in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday and signed by its Coordinator, Gen. Gershom Gbobo; Spokesperson, Chief Dr David Tonye Banigo; National Secretary Gen Johnson Akpobari and National Director mobilization, Gen. Goodluck Warikere, vowed that the youths in the region would not allow any company of northern extraction to maintain pipelines located in their areas.
The statement read: “We will never allow such cheating, marginalisation, injustice and insensitivity to occur in this new administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose mantra remains justice, equity and fairness. NNPCL should know that its actions and conduct would determine the level of peace in the oil-bearing communities of the Niger Delta.
“We will not allow this provocative action of awarding pipeline maintenance contracts only to companies owned by northern cabals. What happens to all the Niger Delta indigenous companies? No northern company would be allowed to carry out routine maintenance on pipelines located in our territory.
“Companies in our region must be engaged for such contracts to create jobs for the youths and keep all stakeholders busy. Northern companies should also be given such jobs in the north. We warn that there will be unrest and crisis if NNPCL fails to review this gross injustice”.
It added: “We are sure that international communities will understand that we are fighting for our rights. We must be involved in this. This is one contract that can be used to discourage pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta. Why will they give such contracts to people who are not from the region? Have they awarded any contract in the north to those of us from the Niger Delta?
“Is it feasible for us to go to the north and agitate for contracts? We call on Mr. President, the National Security Adviser, Secretary to the Federation and the Chief of Staff to intervene in this and stop this disrespect to our region. It looks as if we do not have capable hands in the region to maintain our pipelines.
“We are not saying that they should not award contracts to some of those northern companies. What we are saying is that they should award contracts to them in their domains and award contracts to us in our domains. You cannot be taking everything from our environment through pipelines and still deny us the opportunity to maintain those pipelines”.
