By Dormene Mbea
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP), and other host community stakeholders on Friday intensified calls for the decentralisation of pipeline surveillance contracts, decrying what they described as their exclusion from the recent public hearing organised by the National Assembly on pipeline security.
The groups staged a peaceful demonstration in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, marching through major communities with placards to register their displeasure and press home demands for the direct involvement of host communities in pipeline protection across the Niger Delta.
Speaking during the protest, President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Dr. Theophilus Alaye, described the exclusion of key host community groups from the public hearing as unacceptable, stressing that those who bear the burden of oil infrastructure on their land should not be sidelined in decisions that directly affect them.
According to him, host communities remain the primary actors in the protection of oil facilities and pipelines, owing to their deep knowledge of the terrain, creeks, waterways, and local movement patterns.
Alaye called on the Presidency and the Office of the National Security Adviser to urgently intervene and ensure that pipeline surveillance contracts are decentralised to allow direct participation by communities where the facilities are located.
He argued that decentralising the contracts would not only empower local communities but also significantly improve security outcomes by strengthening grassroots intelligence and ensuring faster response to breaches.
“The host communities understand the terrain better than anyone else. They know the creeks, the routes, and unusual movements within the environment. This puts them in the best position to detect and prevent pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft,” he said.
Also speaking, President of the National Youth Council of Ogoni People, Marcus Nwibani, said the protest was driven by the need for fairness, justice, and inclusion.
He warned that the continued exclusion of host communities from critical engagements and decisions on pipeline surveillance could erode trust and weaken the broader fight against crude oil theft in the region.
Nwibani maintained that meaningful inclusion of local stakeholders remains central to achieving sustainable results in securing national oil assets.
On his part, President of the Ogoni Youths Federation, Emmanuel Bie, decried what he called the continued marginalisation of Ogoni people despite decades of oil exploration activities in the area.
He noted that Ogoniland hosts more than 40 oil wells, yet indigenous participation in pipeline surveillance operations remains significantly low.
Bie insisted that involving host communities directly in surveillance operations remains the most effective and sustainable solution to combating oil theft, sabotage, and vandalism.
According to him, such inclusion would foster a sense of ownership and accountability, as communities are more likely to protect infrastructure from which they derive direct benefits.
He added that decentralisation of the surveillance contracts would help reduce sabotage and contribute to lasting peace and stability across the Niger Delta. The protesters therefore urged the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to adopt a community-based surveillance framework as part of ongoing efforts to curb crude oil theft and secure vital oil infrastructure in the country.
