Just about two weeks to the general elections, a memo from the Presidency has directed Niger Delta ex-militants, namely: Gen. Tompolo, Asari Dokubo and Gen. Shoot At Sight to take over Nigerian waterways and oil pipeline protection from Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)) with effect from March 16.
The militants operating under seven names were allocated their regions and areas of control as follows: 1. Egbe Security River One to handle Bayelsa, 2. Gallery Security takes charge from Mosinmi to Ore, 3. Close Body Protection -Edo State, 4. Adex Energy Security-Rivers. 5. Donyx Global Concept-Lagos and Ogun, 6. Oil Facilities Surveillance-Delta, and 7. New Age Global Security -Mosinmi-Ibadan.
The government however appointed one Engr. Molokwu of the Energy and Technical Department of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC as the Coordinator of the “contracts.”
The latest move by the Jonathan administration is believed to be another way to open the waterways for his kinsmen to steal and sell the nation’s oil at will as well as create avenues to bring in heavy weapons into the creeks ahead of the forthcoming elections.
In a swift reaction to media enquiries, the NNPC said “In a bid to effectively combat the growing scourge of pipeline sabotage that has impacted negatively on its operations, the Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced the renewal and extension of the pipeline protection contract to some of its host communities. Explaining the rationale behind the renewal of the contract which was first awarded in 2011, the Corporation stated that there has been a noticeable increase in the spate of attacks on crude oil, products, and gas pipelines since the expiration of the first community-based contract in 2012 leading to frequent production shut-ins and deferrals of gas supply to power plants.
“The pipeline protection contract is part of our community engagement programme across our host communities aimed at getting community members to help in the task of protecting the pipelines around their communities.
“It would be recalled that while the earlier pipeline protection contract to the communities which lasted from 2011 to 2012 subsisted, breaches to our pipelines were minimal which conduced to the rise in production. The recent rise in the frequency and intensity of willful attacks on our pipelines dictates that we step up our community engagement programme to help stem the tide of the pipeline vandalism scourge.
“In the current programme, we have not only renewed the contracts for the three initial community-based companies involved in the 2011 contract, we have extended the programme to five other community-based companies in other states where we have a high concentration of pipelines stretching from the Niger Delta to the Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and Lagos States.
“The contracts do not in any way obviate or undermine the responsibility of the police and other security agencies to protect the pipelines. They are actually designed to complement the work of the security agencies by raising the alarm and drawing the attention of security agencies to any suspicious movements around the pipelines right of way,” the Corporation stated. It called on the media and other members of the public to desist from reading political meanings to the Corporation’s operations.
