By Jimitota Onoyume

Itsekiri groups have opposed calls to decentralize pipeline surveillance contracts, insisting that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) already provides for host community benefits from oil exploration activities.

Speaking at a world press conference in Warri, Delta State, under the banner of the Coalition of Itsekiri Groups and stakeholders of oil-producing communities, Chairman of the Itsekiri Liberation Group, Comrade Mone Oris, argued that professional firms currently managing surveillance in the region are performing effectively and should be retained.

Oris warned that fragmenting the surveillance job could negatively affect Nigeria’s daily crude oil output, which has recently improved. He emphasized that the PIA establishes a framework built on commercial viability, host community integration, and national security, stressing that surveillance is a specialized security function requiring professional competence and unified command.

He commended the federal government for awarding contracts to Niger Delta-owned companies, noting that these firms collaborate closely with host communities to secure pipelines against oil theft.

Supporting his stance, Chairman of HOSTCOM Itsekiri chapter, Omajugho, explained that contractors recruit locals along pipeline routes, ensuring community involvement. “The contractors are not doing the jobs themselves. They work with the communities. This is why the communities are fully involved,” he said.

During the briefing, stakeholders displayed placards with inscriptions such as “We are not in support of decentralized pipeline protection,” “Centralized protection is the way to go,” and “Professional companies are handling it already.”They also expressed gratitude to the President for awarding the project to Niger Delta firms, noting that oil production levels have risen significantly under the current arrangement.

The groups reaffirmed their commitment to centralized surveillance, stressing that the existing structure has boosted oil production and strengthened security in the Niger Delta.