At a news conference Thursday in Abuja, the ex-militants urged the president to decentralize the contracts and allow their colleagues in each of the nine Niger Delta states to secure the pipelines.
Leader of the Niger Delta Coastal Vanguard NDDC, “General” Job Omotuwa who was flanked by Chief Ajiroba Lucky (Sustain), Ariyo Adeolu and Joseph Olamide Elias Esq. said the president ought not to award the same contracts to the same people.
“We won’t allow our rights to be given to another person form another state. We are operating in the coastline, that is, high seas. Other states operate in the creeks. We know the terrain better than any other group from outside the state.
“Oil spillage affects our people who are largely fishermen. Our fishes are being killed. This is why we have on our own been fighting bunkerers.
“Decentralize pipelines surveillance contracts. Let people from Delta provide security in their state. Let Ondo people do same and ditto for all the other Niger Delta states”, he stated.
He appealed to the president to consider a review of the existing policy and calls for the decentralization of the new surveillance project to accommodate leaders of ex-militants in each state of the region for effective and efficient result.
“The Niger Delta Coastline Vanguard is 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 Coastline Vanguard (NDCV) which have an impressive records of water way security within and outside the state over a long period of time.
“It is on record that on 14th November, 2021 at Abereke, a riverine community in ilaje local government, about 8 persons were arrested in four boats loaded with drums of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) popularly called diesel, this arrest was carried out by our security service, the NDCV Patrol Team lead by me(General Omotuwa) in conjunction with the Antivandal Unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Ondo State Command. In an earlier effort, on 28th October, the same year, a vessel was equally arrested by our team when the suspects engaged in illegal dealings in petroleum products business on the high sea. This is a feat many ex-militant leaders from Ondo state who have benefitted immensely from the federal government Amnesty Program have never recorded or achieved.
“The NDCV remains 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. Moreover, the economic importance and advantages of decentralization as here canvased 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.
“As a critical stakeholder in the security service of the deltaic belt of Nigeria, I am therefore using this medium to send a strong appeal to Mr. President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to consider Niger Delta Coastline Vanguard(NDCV) 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. Also, for the Presidential Amnesty Commission to give full integration of this body into its plans, policies and program.
“Mr. President is invited to note that Ilaje is the only local government that has oil wells and oil flow stations in the state that qualifies Ondo state as the No 5 among the 9 oil producing states in the Niger Delta region.
“Ilaje LG shares coastline border with Delta State from the Eastern flank and Ogun State from the Western flank.
“It has more than 15 oil companies operating in both onshore and off-shore with daily output of over 80,000 barrels per day.
“The IOCs include but not limited to Chevron Nig. Ltd(CNL), Atlas Petroleum International, Conoil Nig ltd, Agip oil Services, Express oil Company, Conoco oil Services. Etc.
“The following oil fields are currently in active operations in Ilaje local government: Ewan oil field, Ororo oil field, Meren oil field, Opuakaba oil field, Malu oil field, Express oil field and Boga oil field is shared between Delta and Ondo State.
“The NDCV has actively engaged in rescue operations of kidnapped victims, the recent one being the one that involved four Chinese nationals in Ilaje local government on 20th December, 2017.
“Mr. President is therefore invited to consider the followings for peace to reign in the region:
“Decentralization of the pipeline surveillance contract to accommodate NDCV to cover Ondo, Ogun and Lagos State littoral corridor.
“That NDCV has the capacity, the required intelligence and human resources to collaborate with the federal government in the surveillance of pipeline and anti-bunkering activities in the area.
“That NDCV is familiar with the terrain for effective and efficient output. That we shall not allow or accept any deliberate attempt by government or agent of government to impose someone from another region who does not belong to our ethnic nationality on us to sustain the existing peace in the region”.
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