Tension heightens in Niger Delta over award of pipeline maintenance contract to northern cabal

By Peters Monday, Abuja

Tension is heightened in Niger Delta over what it described as the lopsided award of the Niger Delta pipeline maintenance contract to four northern companies, a development the region has strongly frowned at, threatening a showdown with the federal government of Nigeria.

Some stakeholders and aggrieved youths who spoke with Congress correspondent condemned and rejected what they described as outright injustice against the Niger Delta region.

The angry youths had vowed to stop the contract if the NNPCL and the federal government refused to review it to include Niger Delta interest.

The Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, IPDI had accused the federal government and NNPCL general managing Director, Kyari of running the northern agenda in the petroleum ministry.

The group averred, “Niger Delta people are Peace-loving and that should not be taken for granted. We demand that the contract should be reviewed to include Niger Delta interest, or else the companies should be ready for more tedious tasks, perhaps, running the pipes from the air, and not through the Niger Delta soul. The injustice against Niger Delta should be corrected to avoid rancour and tension in the region.”

Others said the companies would not be allowed to carry out the maintenance jobs in the creek, vowing that they would sacrifice their last blood to defend the rights and resources of the region.