Two advocacy groups, the Southern Ijaw Unity Forum (SIUF) and the Committee for Transparency and Good Governance (CTGG), have urged the Federal Government to decentralise pipeline surveillance contracts in the Niger Delta.
In an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the NNPCL GCEO, Bashir Ojulari, SIUF warned that renewing existing contracts risks fuelling unrest.
The group noted that despite billions spent under the last administration, oil theft, vandalism, and illegal refining continue because the contracts were concentrated in the hands of a single individual, sidelining other stakeholders.
Similarly, CTGG cautioned that awarding or renewing contracts in Urhobo areas to non-indigenes, particularly to former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), could spark tension and pipeline vandalism.
The group stressed that Niger Delta ethnic groups—Urhobo, Ijaw, and others—bear the same burden of oil exploration’s devastating impact and should share equally in the benefits.
Both groups warned that centralising such contracts undermines fairness, breeds resentment, and risks destabilising fragile peace in the region.