ABUJA: The Coalition of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities CNDEN on Tuesday staged a protest at the National Assembly, demanding an immediate decentralization of pipeline surveillance contracts across the oil-rich region.
Led by Dr. Alaye Theophilus, President-General of the coalition and head of the Ijaw Youth Council IYC, the group submitted a petition to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The document, also signed by leaders from the Ibom Youth Council and Ogoni Federated Youth, argued that the current centralized security framework excludes critical local stakeholders and host communities, creating a structural imbalance that threatens regional stability.
Dr Theophilus stated that the move was not an attempt to discredit existing contractors such as Tantita Security Services or Maton Engineering. Instead, he emphasized that the petition aims to address a growing “cold war” among stakeholders and ex-agitators who feel marginalized by the current system.
He warned that the perceived exclusion is fueling a “cold war” among stakeholders and ex-agitators. “If not urgently addressed, this situation poses a serious risk of escalating into open conflict, which could result in widespread vandalism of oil and gas infrastructure and further destabilize the region,” Theophilus added.
The coalition raised concerns over the current state of national oil production, noting a troubling paradox in the industry.
While Nigeria produced over 2.0 million barrels per day during the height of regional militancy, current output struggles between 1.5 and 1.7 million barrels despite billions of Naira being spent on private surveillance.
Dr. Theophilus questioned the effectiveness of the current system, asking, “Why is oil production declining despite increased spending on pipeline security? Are there systemic lapses or undisclosed networks facilitating crude oil theft?”
The group assured the Federal Government that decentralizing surveillance to the state level would douse existing tensions and potentially boost production to 3.0 million barrels per day. “We firmly assure the Federal Government that if pipeline surveillance contracts are fully decentralized to stakeholders across all Niger Delta states, oil production will increase significantly, and the current tension among stakeholders will be effectively doused,” the IYC leader stated.