News, Politics

Niger Delta Group Urges FG to Decentralise Pipeline Surveillance for Fairer Oil Management

Published by Samuel Ayomide on March 15th, 2026.

Niger Delta Group Urges FG to Decentralise Pipeline Surveillance for Fairer Oil Management.

A pan–Niger Delta coalition has called on the Federal Government to decentralise pipeline surveillance operations in oil-producing communities, insisting that local ethnic nationalities must play a direct role in safeguarding crude oil infrastructure on their ancestral lands. The call was made on Friday at a press briefing in Abuja by the United Niger Delta Congress (UNDC), reports The Guardian Nigeria.

Speaking at the briefing, UNDC National President Julius Mallam-Obi emphasised that excluding host communities from pipeline protection threatens both stability in the Niger Delta and the security of Nigeria’s critical oil revenue. The convener of the group, Fejiro Oliver, and National Secretary Hon. Emaluji Michael Sunday, were also present.

“Justice is the foundation of peace, and exclusion is the seed of instability,” Mallam-Obi said. “Our mission is clear: ensure that benefits from our natural resources are shared fairly, promote inclusion, and protect the collective interests of Niger Delta ethnic nations.”

The UNDC argued that Nigeria’s heavy spending on pipeline surveillance contracts has not translated into increased oil output. “Despite trillions of naira spent on security arrangements, oil production remains stagnant at 1.4 to 1.5 million barrels per day, far below the country’s potential of over two million barrels per day. Nigerians are right to ask: where is all this money going?” the group asked, echoing concerns previously raised in The Nation newspaper.

Tracing the demand for resource justice to historical struggles, the UNDC cited Niger Delta activist Isaac Adaka Boro and environmental campaigner Ken Saro-Wiwa, who fought decades ago for fairness and environmental protection in the region. “We thank President Buhari for pardoning the Ogoni Nine, whose fight was never about monopolies but justice, fairness, and collective prosperity,” Mallam-Obi added.

The group highlighted that the Niger Delta is home to multiple oil-producing ethnic nationalities, including the Ijaw, Urhobo, Isoko, Itsekiri, Ndokwa, Ogoni, Ibibio, and Efik. However, they said current surveillance contracts are concentrated in the hands of a few, leaving many communities excluded.

“Pipeline protection must involve indigenous stakeholders, with clear accountability for breaches or sabotage,” UNDC convener Fejiro Oliver told reporters. “Peace built on monopolies is fragile; peace built on justice and inclusion is sustainable.”

The group also proposed that decentralising surveillance should include economic opportunities for women in oil communities, recommending that at least 35 percent of contracts be allocated through cooperatives and community-based enterprises.

The UNDC urged the Federal Government to improve transparency in pipeline surveillance arrangements. “We call for a full audit of all surveillance contracts, publication of contract terms, beneficiaries, and financial scope, and an investigation into crude oil losses at export terminals,” said Hon. Emaluji Michael Sunday. “The Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives must exercise oversight and ensure equitable participation of all ethnic nationalities in protecting oil assets.”

“Today, we speak not in anger but in conscience,” the group added. “Nigeria must choose between justice and instability. The time to act is now.”