IYC Worldwide Dissagrees With Diri Over Comment On Oil, Gas Pipelines Protection

Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide

Press Statement

15/01/2024

IYC Dissagrees With Diri Over Comment On Oil Pipelines, Says Private Firms Should Be Commended

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has dissagreed with the Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency, Sen. Douye Diri over his recent comment stating that Navy not private firms should protect oil pipelines.

As a council, we see the comment as highly unpatriotic and purely against the self determination and resource control agenda of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) as contained in the Kaiama Declaration of 1998.

The IYC could have ignored the remark made by our highly respected Governor who made the remark through his deputy Governor, His Excellency, Sen. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo but because such is coming out from the Governor general of Ijaw Nation that is supposed to at all time protect the interests of our people in the Nigerian State, Council is coming out to correct the wrong impression created before the Federal Government of Nigeria and to Nigerians in general.

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), the apex youth body in Ijaw and Niger Delta is using this medium to commend the Federal Government of Nigeria for engaging private firms for the protection of oil and gas facilities in the region. To us, this is one of the best decision taken so far by the Federal Government of Nigeria in recent times as it is in-line with the local content laws of the country.

While the Ijaw Youth Council will continue to agitate for resource control and more participation in the oil and gas industry, we want to State that the private firms, particularly Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and other firms handling the surveillance job are all doing great professionally in collaboration with other security agencies.

The NNPCL, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the entire Nigerian populace is aware that since Tantita and other private firms took over the surveillance contract to secure the nation’s critical assets, oil production has tremendously increased thereby making Nigeria more economically viable.

Apart from the increased oil production in Nigeria following the engagement of these private firms, they have also created massive employment of thousands of Niger Delta Youths into these companies in curbing oil theft. The level of employment created by these private firms in the Niger Delta region is unprecedented. The IYC is fully in support of this initiative of the Federal Government. We should be aware that even Countries around the World with notable best security architecture still employs the services of non State actors like what the Federal Government of Nigeria is doing now.

Meanwhile, the Ijaw people in the Niger Delta region is particularly lauding the private firms for effectively handling the pipeline surveillance contract as Council have full confidence on them to continue to carry out their duties.

Finally, it is also our call as a council that while the Federal Government of Nigeria is on the right track for engaging these private firms, we are also stating that the Ijaws deserved more than mere pipeline surveillance contract as our people must be given the opportunity to participate heavily in the oil and gas sector and proper poltical inclusion of our people in the Government.

Signed
Amb. Binebai Yerin Princewill
Spokesman Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide