Isoko: Group Protest, Calls For Review Of Pipeline Surveillance Contract, Demands Its Split For All Ethnic Nationalities To Man Their Points

The Isoko Renaissance Movement, IRM, has called for the review of the pipeline surveillance contract, demanding its Split for all ethnic nationalities to man their points.

While addressing journalists at the protest ground Comrade Jezreel Enahoro the Convener of the movement said;  “ sometime in August 2022 a contract for the surveillance of oil pipeline in the entire region was awarded to Mr. Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) in Niger Delta, without due consultation of the stakeholders of the region on how it would affect all. 

“A lot of groups across the country expressed reservations over the development. The pipeline surveillance contract under Tantita Security has become an avenue for economic and political control, hence, with dangerous schemes that have proved to be unsettling for our region. They have become over reaching,” he said.

“It is on this note that we have found it necessary to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review the pipeline surveillance contract and to break it down for all ethnic nationalities to man their points. Let Isoko Pipelines be secured by genuine Isokos and not those who are appendages of Tantita Security.

“The betrayal of Isoko must end. The call for justice must rise beyond whispers. If our resources are good enough to sustain the nation, then our people are good enough to be recognized, represented, and rewarded. Isoko demands fairness. Isoko demands inclusion. Isoko demands its rightful place in the governance and development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large. Our silence will not last forever. “

The movement also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the office of the National Security Adviser, and the National Assembly to address the wanton underdevelopment indices of Isoko Nation, despite the ethnic nationality’s sterling contributions to the Nigerian Economy.

In the statement signed and read by Comrade Jezreel Enahoro the Convener of the movement said; “Being the second-place crude oil was discovered in Nigeria, it is a well-established fact that 28% of the entire oil resources in Nigeria run through the pipelines planted on Isoko land and it is our perspective that Isoko Nation should be treated as critical stakeholders in the ‘Nigerian Question’.”

“It is obvious that despite our sterling economic contribution and peaceful disposition, the development we see is a far cry from what should be our reality. There is no federal government presence in Isoko Land apart from police stations and INEC offices. Truly, Isoko,” he said.

Furthermore he said; “The Isoko ethnic nationality, remains politically marginalized and economically neglected. From inception, Urhobo, Anioma, Itsekiri, and Ijaw have enjoyed numerous Federal Government Appointments, yet Isoko, which accounts for over 40% of Delta’s oil production, has been met with silence. No Managing Director, no Executive Director, no Minister—only a long history of exclusion despite its vast contribution to the nation’s economy.

“The injustice runs deeper than political marginalization. The consequences of oil exploration have left Isoko land devastated. Our once-fertile farmlands now lie barren, poisoned by unchecked oil spills. Lakes that once sustained generations have become toxic, killing aquatic life and depriving fishermen of their livelihoods. Gas flaring and environmental pollution have led to increased respiratory diseases, skin infections, depletion of life expectancy and overall poor health among our people. Food insecurity grows as farming and fishing—our ancestral trades—become impossible.

“Despite the wealth extracted from Isoko soil, the people remain impoverished, with little to no federal presence in terms of infrastructure, employment, or social welfare. Roads are left to deteriorate, schools remain underfunded, and healthcare is almost non-existent.

The movement in their request is demand that the Federal Government should:

1.            Award a fresh contract to a company of our choosing or that which is properly vetted by the Stakeholders of Isoko region for surveillance of our crude oil pipelines.

2.            Declare a state of Emergence on our infrastructural development as well as human capital development.

3.            See to the development of Isoko Gas Turbine project to ensure ample electricity supply in Isoko land.

4.            Appoint Isoko sons and daughters into Federal Government Boards and Government parastatals.