The Niger Delta Coastline Vanguard (NDCV), a group of ex-militants in Ondo State, has called on the Federal Government to decentralize the pipeline surveillance contract and accommodate leaders of ex-militants in each state of the region.
The group made the call in a statement signed by its President, General Job Omotuwa.
The statement said, “We are the members of Ondo State Niger Delta Coastal Vanguard. We are a group of ex-militants who, under the Presidential Amnesty Program submitted weapons and were granted pardoned in 2017 with a promise to be properly integrated into the federal Government Amnesty program with all accrued benefits. We established Forest Camp in Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local government Areas of Ondo State. The Ilaje covers the entire 120kms coastline and 80% of the water ways in the state. We are also licensed to operate under a registered company called Steve Latcon Security Services (SLSS) and Niger Delta Coastaline Vanguard (NDCV) which have an impressive records of water way security within and outside the state over a long period of time.”
The statement went on to say that the NDCV is the only disciplined, dedicated and law-abiding team that is committed to discharge its duties in collaboration and synergy with the federal government security agencies.
The group also argued that the economic importance and advantages of decentralization is to yield increased daily oil production output to meet the OPEC target of 2.2million barrels per day which has recently reduced to a ridiculous 1.6million barrels/day because of illegal oil bunkering activities by saboteurs. It will also create job opportunities, enhance the nation’s foreign exchange, encourage internally generated revenue and make act of sabotage that cause oil spill to be more risky and less rewarding for criminals who sabotage government economic policies by busting pipes in the region.
The NDCV therefore appealed to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to consider the group in the ongoing decentralization plan of the pipeline surveillance contract to handle the entire corridor of the South West littoral States (Ondo, Ogun, Lagos) in the project for equity, fairness and peace in the region.
The group also appealed to the Presidential Amnesty Commission to give full integration of this body into its plans, policies and program.
The NDCV’s call for decentralization of the pipeline surveillance contract is timely and should be considered by the Federal Government. The group has a proven track record of success in waterway security and is well-positioned to help the government curb pipeline vandalism and oil bunkering in the Niger Delta region.
Benefits of decentralizing the pipeline surveillance contract
There are several benefits to decentralizing the pipeline surveillance contract:
- It will increase the number of people involved in the surveillance process, which will make it more difficult for vandals to operate undetected.
- It will create jobs and boost the local economy in the Niger Delta region.
- It will give local communities a greater say in how their region is protected.
- It will reduce the risk of conflict between local communities and security forces.
- It will improve the overall effectiveness of pipeline surveillance in the Niger Delta region.
Read Full Statement:
The Federal Government should heed the call of the NDCV and decentralize the pipeline surveillance contract. This is a win-win situation for all stakeholders. The government will be able to better protect its oil pipelines, local communities will benefit from job creation and economic development, and the risk of conflict will be reduced.
