Northern Youths Warned Against Provoking Niger Delta Over Surveillance Contract

By Adeleye Kunle

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has warned Northern youths not to instigate a crisis in the Niger Delta region through alleged unnecessary and misguided expressions and actions in relation to the surveillance contract awarded to former militant, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo.

Hon. Ken Robinson, National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, issued a warning to Arewa youths late Wednesday about reported threats to cause chaos if the contract was not terminated.

“During a protest at the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited in Abuja, purported northern youths, under the so-called Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, demanded the termination of a reported pipeline surveillance contract awarded to a son of the Niger Delta region, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (popularly known as Tompolo).”

“PANDEF warns that the reported threat by the so-called Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups to halt activities at NNPC headquarters if the contract awarded to Government Ekpemupolo is not only absurd and delusory, but has the potential to have serious consequences in the Niger Delta region.”

“We’re sending a strong message to those misguided Arewa youths and their sponsors.” Let them know that the people of the Niger Delta will not tolerate such nonsense.

“Tompolo, and any other capable Niger Delta Son or Daughter for that matter, has the right to be awarded any contract by any agency or company of the Federal Government, particularly the NNPC Limited, whose core operations are primarily carried out in the Niger Delta region.”

According to the report, Nigeria is “reportedly losing billions of naira daily through organized, outrageous crude theft by criminals and corrupt officials.” It follows that the so-called Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups were mobilized by the “organized oil thieves” to obstruct the renewed efforts of NNPC limited, to mitigate the stealing of our crude oil, and also, to safeguard the nation’s oil and gas assets.

“PANDEF observes that the Niger Delta region has remained marginalized and isolated in critical sectors of the country, particularly in the oil and gas sector.”

“While our people are denied adequate participation in the oil and gas industry’s management and operations, including ownership of oil blocks and marginal fields, the sad reality is that people from other parts of the country own the majority of oil marginal fields and blocks, some of whom do not even know what crude oil looks like but for what they see in pictures.”

“PANDEF also notes that, while the Petroleum Industry Act set aside only 3% of the settlor’s operational costs for the Host Communities Development Trust Fund, it brazenly set aside 30% of NNPC’s oil and gas profit for a nebulous Frontier Oil Exploration Fund.”

“Another vexing issue is the composition of the board and management of the new NNPC Limited; it is the same old story of inequity and lopsidedness.” The South-South geopolitical zone, which accounts for more than 80% of the country’s crude oil production and should be true shareholders, has only one member on the Board.

“Meanwhile, oil and gas exploration activities have continued to degrade our previously lush, healthy ecosystem and devastate indigenous peoples’ means of subsistence.”

“Critical infrastructure projects in the region have also continued to be neglected or abandoned.”

“Given the Niger Delta’s unpleasant history, the reported protest by the said Arewa Youths over the surveillance contract awarded to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo is most arrogant and irritating.”

“The fact that the Niger Delta people have remained calm in the face of such heinous injustice does not imply that they do not know what to do or lack the will to do so.”

PANDEF, on the other hand, advised the Federal Government and the management of the titular NNPC limited to ignore the alleged Arewa youth groups.