* Asks govt to ignore persons seeking to derail gains
By Our Reporter
A Niger Delta advocacy group – South South Initiative, – has defended the ongoing oil pipeline surveillance contracts in the region, saying it has significantly strengthened the protection of Nigeria’s oil infrastructure and contributed to improved crude oil production and national revenue.
The group also urged the federal government to ignore those it described as self-serving persons attempting to undermine the surveillance framework. The group warned that such campaigns are being driven by vested interests seeking to reverse the gains recorded in protecting Nigeria’s oil assets.
The position of the organisation was contained in a statement delivered by its President, Emmanuel Iriogbe, at a press briefing at the weekend in Abuja.
Speaking, Iriogbe said the community-based pipeline surveillance system introduced by the Federal Government has drastically reduced incidents of pipeline vandalism, illegal bunkering and organised crude oil theft across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the impact of the initiative has translated into improved oil production stability and enhanced revenue inflow into the federation account.
He noted that, for years, Nigeria suffered significant losses due to persistent pipeline vandalism, illegal refining activities and organised crude oil theft across the Niger Delta, which severely affected national oil production and government revenue.
“The reality is that Nigeria was losing enormous volumes of crude oil daily due to pipeline vandalism and organised oil theft,” the group said.
“However, ever since the introduction of the community driven pipeline surveillance framework, the situation has improved significantly. Pipeline attacks have reduced drastically, illegal bunkering has been curtailed and the Federal Government is now able to make more reliable projections regarding crude oil production and revenue.”
The Initiative noted that Nigeria’s crude oil infrastructure remains the backbone of the national economy and must be protected through strategies that combine conventional security operations with the participation of host communities who possess deep knowledge of the terrain.
According to the group, successive administrations struggled for years to effectively tackle pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft until the Federal Government adopted a community driven security model that engages indigenous surveillance companies to complement the efforts of security agencies.
The organisation identified firms such as Tantita Security Services and Maton Engineering Services, among other indigenous companies, engaged to monitor pipelines and other critical oil infrastructure across the Niger Delta.
It said the model has produced measurable outcomes including improved monitoring of oil facilities, reduction in pipeline attacks and greater accountability in crude oil production.
The group further explained that the surveillance framework was deliberately structured to ensure inclusiveness among host communities across the Niger Delta.
It recalled that when the pipeline surveillance contract was introduced, the leadership of Tantita Security Services convened a meeting in Oporoza, headquarters of the Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State, where representatives of host communities across the region, from Ondo to Cross River, were invited to participate in the initiative.
According to the Initiative, it was agreed at the meeting that pipeline protection responsibilities would not be monopolised by any single ethnic group or community but would instead be distributed across communities through coordinators and subcontractors.
“This inclusive approach ensured that host communities became stakeholders in protecting national assets while also creating legitimate employment opportunities for youths across the Niger Delta,” the group stated.
The Initiative also expressed concern over what it described as a campaign of misinformation and blackmail aimed at discrediting the surveillance arrangement.
According to the group, individuals who previously benefitted from illegal refining activities and crude oil theft are uncomfortable with the new system of accountability and monitoring.
“Those who profited from the chaos of pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering are naturally uncomfortable with the current structure which has strengthened monitoring and accountability,” the group said.
The organisation therefore urged the Federal Government not to be distracted by what it described as misguided elements attempting to derail the progress recorded in securing Nigeria’s oil infrastructure.
According to the Initiative, the measurable improvements in pipeline security and crude oil production stability should remain the primary benchmark for assessing the effectiveness of the surveillance framework.
“It would be unfortunate if individuals who benefitted from the era of rampant oil theft are allowed to undermine a system that is helping to restore order and accountability in the Niger Delta,” the group stated.
“We urge the Federal Government to remain focused on the national interest and ignore misguided campaigns aimed at weakening a strategy that has demonstrably strengthened the protection of our oil infrastructure and boosted government revenues.”
The group also cautioned against dismantling the current surveillance framework without a carefully designed alternative, warning that such a move could risk reversing the relative stability currently being experienced in the Niger Delta.
“As history has shown, there was a time when militancy, pipeline destruction and crude oil theft significantly disrupted oil production and affected government revenues,” the group added.
“The present stability has been achieved through dialogue, inclusion and the participation of host communities in protecting national assets.”
The Initiative further suggested that if necessary, the Federal Government could establish an independent verification committee to assess the impact of the surveillance framework, including its role in reducing pipeline vandalism, improving monitoring of crude oil production and strengthening community participation.
It also clarified that several surveillance contractors currently operate across different pipeline corridors in the Niger Delta, insisting that the structure should not be misrepresented as a monopoly.
The group maintained that the collaborative community based model has proven more effective than previous approaches in protecting Nigeria’s oil infrastructure and safeguarding the country’s oil revenue.
It therefore urged Nigerians to reject what it described as propaganda aimed at reviving the era of large scale crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.
