The Southern Ijaw Unity Forum has urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to decentralise pipeline surveillance contracts, insisting that empowering local stakeholders is the only sustainable way to combat crude oil theft and illegal refining in the Niger Delta.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Forum’s chairman, Timothy Amadiowei, argued that the centralised model adopted by the Federal Government since the Muhammadu Buhari administration had failed to produce meaningful results.

He noted that despite reforms in the petroleum sector, large-scale oil theft continues to undermine the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act and the country’s economic recovery efforts.

“The only solution to oil theft and illegal refining of petroleum products is decentralisation, because nobody is happy with the anomalies on ground,” Amadiowei said.

“Every stakeholder is angry with the current arrangement. Carry everybody along, and you’ll see the difference. I can tell you boldly that there are renowned ex-agitators who have the answers the government is seeking, but they are just watching the Federal Government struggle because the government has failed to approach them for help.”

The group called on Tinubu, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Bashir Ojulari, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to review the current approach and correct what it described as “errors made by past administrations.”

Amadiowei further explained that decentralisation would allow communities to take ownership of the protection of pipelines in their areas, making it easier to identify and deal with perpetrators of illegal bunkering.

“Let everybody secure their own domains,” he said. “If anybody is doing illegal bunkering in my community, I know them and I know how to deal with them, but a stranger does not know them and so it’s difficult to stop them.If you are from Delta State, stay in Delta and secure the pipelines in your area. If you are from Rivers State, stay in Rivers and secure the pipelines there. If you are from Bayelsa, stay there and secure pipelines there, likewise the other states producing crude oil and gas.”

The Forum cautioned against re-awarding surveillance of all Niger Delta pipelines to a single contractor, warning that the move would only perpetuate existing problems. Instead, it urged the Federal Government to distribute the contracts among major stakeholders across the region.

Over the years, Niger Delta groups have repeatedly demanded a review of the surveillance model, arguing that decentralisation would not only enhance security but also reduce vandalism on waterways and restore confidence among oil-producing communities.

Punch