The South-South Coalition of Civil Society Organizations has condemned the call for decentralisation of the pipeline surveillance contract.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt, Emmanuel Abe, Joshua Atani and Princess Ebiwanno Elizabeth, said the pipeline surveillance contract is not a community development intervention fund, nor is it a social welfare platform for political appeasement.
It noted that the contract is a highly technical national security assignment supervised under the coordination of the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, and other relevant national security agencies
The Coalition said: “After a careful review of the facts, consultations with stakeholders across the region, and assessment of operational realities on the ground, we hereby state clearly and unequivocally that calls for so-called decentralisation of the pipeline surveillance contract, as presently being canvassed by certain interests, are largely built on ignorance, misinformation, and a poor understanding of the technical, strategic, and security architecture governing crude oil asset protection in Nigeria.
“Let it be clearly stated that the pipeline surveillance contract is not an empowerment programme. It is not an amnesty package for ex-agitators.
“It is not a community development intervention fund, nor is it a social welfare platform for political appeasement.
“This contract is a highly technical national security assignment supervised under the coordination of the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, and the relevant national security agencies, including the armed forces and intelligence institutions.
“The contract deals directly with the protection of strategic national economic assets, particularly crude oil pipelines, export lines, and associated infrastructure critical to Nigeria’s survival as an oil-producing nation.
“Such a responsibility cannot and should not be reduced to political patronage or fragmented distribution merely to satisfy sectional demands.
“The present arrangement, involving a limited number of qualified major surveillance contractors, is based on rigorous selection standards, technical competence, financial capacity, field intelligence capability, and operational investments.
“These contractors have committed enormous resources to technology deployment, including surveillance drones, marine security vessels, speed boats, communication systems, operational camps, rapid response platforms, and logistics infrastructure necessary for difficult terrain operations across creeks, swamps, and riverine corridors.
“It is therefore far easier, more efficient, and more accountable to manage three competent lead contractors that have undergone strict vetting than to create a fragmented structure that may weaken command coordination, compromise accountability, and expose critical infrastructure to renewed sabotage.
“We must also correct the false narrative suggesting that the current arrangement constitutes monopoly. The present system is far from a monopoly.
“The lead contractor merely functions as a major project manager within a highly regulated framework. Every subcontractor under the arrangement is approved through processes involving the National Security Adviser, the NNPCL, and Defence Headquarters. Subcontracting is not arbitrary; it is structured, monitored, and regulated by government institutions.
“This means that the pricing, operational responsibilities, payment structures, and deployment terms are all subject to approval by the relevant authorities. There is no room for exploitation, and certainly no room for the kind of misleading claims suggesting that major contractors collect huge sums while subcontractors receive insignificant allocations.
“The figures and rates paid to subcontractors are scrutinized and approved to ensure fairness, transparency, and operational effectiveness.
“Those currently agitating loudly for decentralisation without understanding these mechanisms are, in many cases, already beneficiaries within the subcontracting framework. Many of them are being carried along under the same contract they publicly criticise.
“This is why we strongly submit that much of the agitation is driven not by policy understanding, but by what can best be described as an Oliver Twist mentality, an endless appetite for more without sufficient regard for national interest, technical realities, or security implications.”
The Coalition said the current arrangement in the contract is work particularly in the eastern corridor where Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited has demonstrated outstanding results.
“We also urge the Federal Government, the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, and all relevant security institutions to remain focused on performance indicators and national interest rather than pressure from sectional agitators who may not fully appreciate the implications of destabilising current gains.
“We also call on stakeholders across the Niger Delta to resist divisive narratives capable of undermining hard-earned progress in oil asset protection.
“The region has suffered too much from crude theft, environmental degradation, and insecurity to return to failed experiments.
“Our position remains firm: Performance must remain the basis for confidence, and on that basis, PINL has earned public endorsement.”
