The Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM) worldwide has urged the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited to establish a Special Task Force comprising mainly host community members to collaborate with security agencies.
In a statement, BSM President Elder Comrade Curtis Eghosa Ugbo and General Secretary Ms. Esohe Adun argued that host community members, familiar with the environment, should be involved in protecting oil facilities. They criticized the practice of awarding contracts to non-indigenous individuals, calling it unfair.
The group urged the government and NNPC to involve resource owners in protecting their resources, citing Edo State as an example where a non-indigene is tasked with protection instead of local community members
“Our concern is that if the issue is not given a fair treatment in record time it may snowball into a fiery bush fire that may become too cumbersome to handle.
And again, in Edo State how can an Itsekiri man from Delta State be in charge of protection of Pipeline surveillance in our State? Is Tompolo and his cotravellers telling us that their Itsekiri brother knows our Communities and State more than us?? The Federal Government and NNPC better look into this matter before it gets out of hand and we will be leading a massive protest to NPDC Benin to shut down operations until our demands are met by NNPC and Federal Government and we say Enough is Enough”
According to them, ” members of the Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM) worldwide, are concerned with the recent cross region brickbrat between the Northern and Southern region of the country on the issue of the award of Security Surveillance contract worth billions of naira awarded to ex-Niger Delta militant leader, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo(aka Tompolo) by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited.
“The Northern youths should trend with caution because they cannot eat their cake and still have it, the Southern Nigeria especially the Niger Delta have been marginalized over the years and have suffered more even as the region that lays the golden egg. They stated.
“To be fair to all concerned, Benin Solidarity Movement BSM Worldwide call for a change in the deal; Our suggestion is that a Special Task Force be set up made up essentially of people from the Host Communities who should work hand in hand with operatives of the security agencies.
Members of this special task force group should be entitled to some reasonable amount of stipends to take care of their logistics and keep them going.
The group advised Tompolo to reject the contract as it was not given to him in good faith (Greek Gift) ; It was given to him to cause confusion within the Niger Delta region and even beyond.
“Youths of the country and indeed the Niger Delta should not let the issue of the contract award cause a divide in their midst. There is strength in unity. “A stitch in time they say saves nine. They concluded.
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