Given Pipelines Maintenance Offer To Northerners Is Afront On Niger Delta

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

The oil wealth of the nation and the most oil-producing region has been left out again as Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, led by Mele Kyari chooses the Northern region to maintain the pipeline and neglected the Niger Delta region.

According to a statement signed by Comrade Daniel Ezekiel, he asked a critical question which stated: “If truly justice is the foundation for a peaceful society, why is it that the Nigerian state finds it hard to practice it?”

According to the report, it was alleged that Mele Kyari-led NNPCL is about awarding maintenance contracts of pipelines across the Niger Delta to the Northerns.

However, the report was affirmed as four companies owned by Northerners were given offers to maintain pipelines in Niger Delta communities.

Following this development, Daniel Ezekiel said this is a great insult to the sensibility of the Niger Delta people.

“Yes, Northerns are Nigerians with the right to bid and do a job in any part of the country.
The aspect creating tension is an act of disregard for local content by NNPCL in awarding this job. Is C.E.O, Mele Kyari telling us that there are no capable hands among millions of people in the region that can handle the job to his satisfaction, that he has to bring in his brothers from far North?

“People keep talking about insecurity in Niger Delta, it is so unfortunate that this is one of the key reasons why it will be difficult to eradicate crime because job opportunities that would have gotten the youths busy will be given to outsiders who will take whatever comes into their pockets back to their respective states, leaving operational host communities vulnerable, this we find very unacceptable and condemned in the strong possible term.

“In as much as we preach peace in our communities, policymakers should always take into account the feelings of the people of the region, before dishing out jobs, which sons and daughters of Niger Delta can do.
Finally speaking, for the sake of peace and equity, let companies from the Niger Delta region be made of this job to calm fray nerves,” he added.