President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged to ensure the protection of petroleum pipelines in the South West is handled by an indigenous company in the region.
The Oodua Nationalist Coalition, ONAC, said the people of the South West were disturbed that contracts for the protection of pipelines in the Ijawland were given to indigenous companies in the area while the protection of pipelines in the South West area had been given to companies not indigenous to the South West.
“This decision has caused lack of cooperation of indigenous people in the South West who feel sidelined by the award of pipeline protection in their indigenous territories to companies alien to them.
“Any pipeline protection in the South West should be handled by a company based and owned by people of the South West. This is equity based on common sense,” ONAC said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
ONAC is a coalition of 45 pan-Yoruba groups.
In the statement signed by the Organising Secretary, Sunday Akinnuoye and Women Leader, Alhaja Munirat Ojuolape, the coalition commended the president for renewal of the private pipeline protection mechanism.
The group, however, said the pipelines in the South West from Ondo to Lagos should be handled by a company owned by people indigenous to the South West.
ONAC said during the Amnesty programme, armed groups in Ilaje Yoruba territories handed over their weapons as condition for peace and with the hope that the government would address their grievances but regretted that the Ilaje Yoruba groups had been denied the opportunity given to their counterparts in the Niger-Delta.
The group said that Ondo State had the longest coastline in Nigeria and that Ondo and Lagos were oil producing areas.
“The people have voted for APC overwhelmingly since 2015. In the last election, Ondo State recorded the highest percentage of votes for President Tinubu. It is therefore embarrassing that the federal government does not consider any company worthwhile in the entire South West for pipeline protection in the vast territories.
READ ALSO: FAAC shares N903.480bn September revenue to FG, states, LGs
“Security of pipelines can only best be handled by people indigenous to the area. Security is a local matter. The people of the South West cannot understand why the protection of pipelines in the region is not the responsibility of people who own the land where the pipelines pass through,” the group said.
ONAC said there was no justification for giving out the protection of oil pipelines in the South West to people from other regions.
ONAC said the South West had a retinue to experts in the Niger Delta Coastline Vanguard, NDCV, that were competent enough to protect pipeline in the entire South West area adding that hat it was high time the protection of pipelines went to indigenous companies in the South West.
“The pipelines in the Niger Delta are protected by people from that area. There is no justification for giving out pipeline protection in the South West to people from outside the region” ONAC said.
