A Coalition of civil society organizations on Transparency and Accountability in partnership with the Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI) has urged the Nigerian Senate to stand firm in the pipeline surveillance contract probe, even as they called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu take appropriate actions at the end of the probe to pacify angry Nigerians who are tired of excuses.

In a press text signed by Igwe Ude-Umanta and Prince Danesi Momoh Prince; Convener and National Coordinator of EUYI respectively, copies of which were distributed to journalists, the Coalition frowned at the fact that Nigeria has become a country where very bizarre and abnormal things have become not only normal, but most times, cultural.

According to the text, “we are a country where simple things are made complicated while organised crimes are clothed in official regalia, everybody moves as if nothing is happening, even when the nation is hacked. This should by all means stop!

“The Nigerian Naval Force which later became the Nigerian Navy in 1964 was established with the primary responsibility of protecting and defending Nigeria’s vast coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which covers over 200 nautical miles from the shoreline.

“Also, sections 3 and 4(a) of the Armed Forces Act (2004) clearly defines the roles of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and in this particular subject matter, the Nigerian Navy. Nothing in that law suggests or anticipates that the Nigerian Navy could cede or share the responsibilities of maritime security with any other agency, much less a private security company.

“Consequently, the entire pipeline surveillance contract is not only an aberration, but a conscious attempt at removing constitutional duties from the Nigerian Navy; handing immense and dangerous security powers to possible non-state actors under the guise of security companies and tantamount to paying suspected thieves to keep them from stealing.

“It is alleged that the pipeline surveillance contract costs Nigeria up to N2.5 trillion. And no review, analysis or audit have been carried out to even ascertain if this clearly unconstitutional contract is beneficial to Nigerians, or it is just a shameful way of surrendering to would-be oil thieves and pipeline vandals. This is indeed an unfortunate organised national fraud said to be packaged by some of the political and military elite as well as top NNPCL officials.

“There is no way of justifying this pipeline surveillance contract which is mainly handled by 3 known persons/interests (outside the masquerades and unseen forces behind it). The contract is a shameful surrender to non-state actors, an abuse of the military institution of the Nigerian Navy and fraudulent package to benefit a few interests at the expense of other actors and the general public.
In any case, the issue of protection of oil and gas installations and facilities, including pipelines has been settled under the Petroleum Industry Act.

“In establishing the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) under Section 235 of the Act, responsibilities were assigned to host communities which includes the protection of oil and gas installations and facilities.
Section 257 of PIA specifically states: ‘where in a year, an act of vandalism, sabotage, or other civil unrest occurs that causes damage to the petroleum and designated facilities or disrupts production activities within the host communities, the community shall forfeit its entitlement to the extent of the cost of the damage that resulted from the activity with respect to the provisions of this Act within that financial year…”

The Coalition noted that the provision above places surveillance of any type in the hands of the host communities as a condition for receiving or losing the 3% derivation from the operating oil companies (settlor) and queried why handing trillions of naira annually to a few persons for pipeline surveillance across the Niger Delta.

“There is hardly any legal or very logical way of justifying or explaining this multi-trillion pipeline surveillance contract. It should not continue. It is a fraud and injustice against Nigeria, particularly, the vast communities of the Niger Delta who are excluded from the contract. While we are totally against fraud of any type or package, we insist that if it must continue, it should therefore be democratized.

“What is good for Gbaramatu or Ode-Itsekiri is also good for Nembe or Ikot-Abasi.
We therefore welcome the probe of this alleged scam called pipeline surveillance contract by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We know that the forces behind this “free money” are powerful and vested. But they cannot be more powerful that the institution of the Nigerian Senate.

“The Senate should therefore show itself as a force for accountability in Nigeria. It must not fail.
Also, we call of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who is also the Minister of Petroleum Resources to look into this surveillance contract which did not start in his administration.

“The contract is now being called out for being basically a fraud. It should be reviewed and possibly terminated while the Navy is allowed to continue with its constitutional duties.
Our eyes are on the Senate and we are hopeful that Mr. President will act decisively”, the text concluded.