The Aare Prince Osibote -led Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, address the issues surrounding the controversial pipeline surveillance contract award of OML 30 and 34.
The contract, according to Osibote, was allegedly awarded to the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, by proxy.
Osibote argued that the controversial contract ought to have been awarded the ex-militants of Urhobo and Isoko lands whom he said have the right of first refusal being the one who made the contract possible in the first place.
Without militancy, Osibbote said there would not have been need for the surveillance of oil pipelines and on this note, he called on the federal government to, as a matter of fact, withdraw the contract and award same to the former warriors led by Akpodoro.
According to the OPC leader, Akpodoro deserves the pateon of the All Progressives Congress, APC having served as the guard fly to the party’s interest in the South-Southern region of the country since 2015.
He recalled how the Mayor of Urhoboland through his coalition stood his ground to declare support for the then General Buhari in the creeks of the Niger Delta even when it was a suicidal action at the time.
He maintained further that, to whom much is given, much is expected on the strength of which Akpodoro’s coalition should be awarded the contract having defeated the then rampaging Niger Delta Avengers, which he described as a criminal group that intended to overrun the Nigerian state by crippling the economy.
He stated further that it was based on the then prevailing circumstance that the FG led by former army chief of General Buratai promised Akpodoro and his group the surveillance contract if he support their war against the Avengers.
It could be recalled that the today’s Mayor of Urhoboland did not only support, but he surrendered himself and teeming supporters to the war against the economic saboteurs within a record time and the war was won.
The OPC scribe noted that while Akpodoro waged that war, on one part of the divide were the today’s beneficiaries of the pipeline surveillance contract and on the second divide, Osibote said, were the ones on the fence who claimed the neutrality.
Ironically Osibote said, “Isn’t Nigeria a funny setting? That the man who helped you to fight armed men at night in your house later became your enemy which the night invaders of your house now own the kids to your house and even chased the man who saved you from being killed out of same house.
“President Buhari has always been playing saint. This is where and when to act on it. He should call the NNPCL GCEO Mele Kyri and NPDC MD Ali Zarah immediately to order and corrections effected.
“Senator Omo-Agege we know is a lawmaker. How come he became a contractor, dealer and wheeler in contracts? Why would he ambush what supposed to come to his people? Why would he hijack the pipeline security contract? This is injustice of the highest order. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan should caution his colleague and let peace reign.
“We also call on president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to equally look into this matter and make adjustments immediately. We know the enormous resources that the Mayor of Urhoboland would have ploughed into all this and we need a government to immediately nip troubles in the bud.
“They have been firing warning shorts on the pipelines and we are also aware that Zane Energy has been trying to cover up the damages done to the pipelines recent times. It goes to show that Zane Energy doesn’t have all it takes to secure the pipelines thereby defeating the need for security of the pipelines.”
