MOSOP Warns President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against oil protection contract, as it will fuel a rebellion from the Niger Delta.
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to tread carefully in awarding an oil pipeline protection contract so that a violent crisis in the Niger Delta region is avoided.
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MOSOP President, Fegalo Nsuke, declared this at Bori, the headquarters of Khana Local Government Area in Rivers State, saying that previous Nigerian governments promoted insurrection in the Niger Delta through such contracts, hence increasing the militarization of the general population.
Tinubu, he said, should equip and inspire the armed forces to secure national assets rather than militarize the civilian population under the guise of securing the oil and gas pipelines.
He accused prior administrations of inciting insurgency in the Niger Delta by awarding security contracts for oil pipeline protection, so militarizing the civilian population.
We will strongly caution the President against empowering civilians to take over the responsibility of security forces under the guise of protecting oil pipelines because it ends up increasing the amount of arms within the civil population’s reach, Fegalo said.
Rather, we will advise Mr. President to equip the military forces in order to successfully secure the oil assets in the delta in the most professional manner.
While there are concerns about the behavior of some military personnel in the Niger Delta region, they are still a better and more professional force for securing the country and arming it.
The MOSOP chief blamed the system’s disintegration on state corruption and encouraged the government to set a good example.
In fact, it is not surprising that state corruption has aided oil thieves to operate in the delta and pollute the region in collusion with some military personnel, he said.
This should not be surprising in a corrupt system like ours, where we hear daily reports of billions of Naira being stolen by those in power.
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When leaders steal and we get reports on a daily basis with no consequences, it’s difficult to expect citizens, including military officers, to be exceptionally patriotic. As a result, corruption is widespread since it emanates from the top.
He also urged the President to seriously consider establishing an Ogoni Development Authority, citing the Ogoni as a unique ethnic nationality whose rights are guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution and other international instruments.
