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The Aare Prince Osibote -led O’dua Peoples Congress, OPC has urged 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 award according to Osibote, was allegedly awarded to Zane Energy.

Osibote argues that the controversial contract ought to have been awarded to the ex-militants of Urhobo and Isoko lands, who he said have the right of first refusal, being the one, who made the contract possible in the first place. Without militancy, Odubote holds, that there wouldn’t 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 agitators led by Akpodoro.

According to the OPC leader, “Akpodoro deserves the patronage of the All Progressives Congress, APC having served as the gadfly of 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, “to whom much is given, much is expected on the strength of which Akpodoro’s coalition should have been awarded the contract having defeated the then rampaging Niger Delta Avengers, NDA,” 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.

“We recall that the today’s Mayor of Urhoboland did not only support, but he drafted himself and his teeming supporters into the war against the economic saboteurs within a record time and the war was won,” adding, “This is the architect of the fragile peace in the region till date.”

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, who he said were the actual Avengers and; on the second divide, Osibote said, were the ones on the fence, who claimed neutrality and are today in the Senate and also the contractor, who bagged the contract by the same NPDC and NNPCL, who were the victims of the actions of the Avengers while the man who fought the Avengers is today neglected and ignored.

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 with the night invaders of your house now own the keys to your house and even chase 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.

“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 trouble in the bud.

“Restive ex-militants have been firing warning shorts on the pipelines and we are also aware that Zane Energy have been trying to cover up the damages done to the pipelines in 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,” Osibote said.