The Niger Delta Peace Front, on Sunday, advised youths of the region especially, ex-militants, to avoid being used to sabotage the nation’s economy.
The NPDF warned some ex-militants whose stock-in-trade is to go to the media to criticise the renewal of the pipeline protection contract.
While calling on the former creek dwellers to be mindful of such persons, who they describe as ‘unscrupulous’, the NPDF said they do not mean well for the nation.
The Chairman and Secretary of the NPDF, Patterson Efemena and Onyem Philip, respectively, in a statement on Sunday, urged support for Tantita Security Services Limited following the decision of the Federal Government to renew the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to it.
The NPDF urged those aggrieved by the contract renewal to show patriotism, noting that Tantita had engaged almost 18,000 youths of the region to successfully prosecute the first phase of the oil pipeline contract.
The group recalled that the contract, which has become the subject of needless controversy, was executed by people in the same region for over 12 years with no protest whatsoever from anywhere.
“We have observed the sponsored mudslinging and other veiled threats to the Federal Government and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited over the renewal of the oil pipeline contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Limited.
“As stakeholders in the Niger Delta, we have resisted the urge to join the fray in the days leading to the renewal of the critical contract to Tantita Security Services Limited.
“This we did because we hold it dearly to our hearts that subversive activities sponsored by those who benefited monthly from Tantita will not further the interest of Nigeria.
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“We are of the view that it is about time we stopped these threats and name-calling to pursue things that are beneficial to our dear country’s finances and the poorly managed ecology of our homeland.”
Describing oil theft as “a plague on the financial well-being of our country,” the NPDF said, “As people from the Niger Delta, we should join forces with Tantita to prosecute a successful campaign against our country and our environment rather than supporting the saboteurs of our economy over a pot of porridge.
“We commend Mr President and the NNPC for the deliberate decision to strengthen the war against oil theft.”
Also, the Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas, on Sunday, called on the Federal Government to deploy technology to combat oil theft.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Community Development Committees, Joseph Ambakaderimo, in a statement on Sunday, said, “Government must employ the application of high techs such as drones, sensor activation and infrared beams transmitting to a base station that will trigger the alarm.
“The security contractors engaged by the government have not helped after all. There are still cases of pipeline breaches, stealing of crude oil and vandalisation of critical oil and gas national assets. We must tread carefully for the government not to allow itself to be held hostage by non-state actors.
“If the pipelines surveillance contracts are to be pursued for a better outcome, those involved must show capacity and there must be ways of getting results for money spent.”
Meanwhile, another group of ex-militants in Ondo State, under the aegis of Niger Delta Coastline Vanguard, called for the decentralisation of the pipeline contract.
In a letter to the President, the group said, “We demand decentraliSation of the pipeline surveillance contract to accommodate NDCV to cover Ondo, Ogun and Lagos States littoral corridor.
“The 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.”
