The
reported end to contentious pipeline surveillance and protection
contracts awarded by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration
through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to sundry
militant groups is a fitting end to a certain national shame. Of course,
the contracts were akin to handing over national assets to armed gangs
for protection, much against the collective interests of citizens.
A
termination of the multi-billion naira contracts is also welcome
against the background of current attempts to cut costs in governance
and block wastages in public expenditure. This momentum must be
sustained.
Until recently, the manner of
disbursement of public funds for political patronage was embarrassing,
underlining the country’s propensity for mismanagement, profligacy and
impunity at every level.
The handover of the facilities was
wrong right from the beginning and every public criticism of the untidy
transaction has always met with unconvincing explanation by the
immediate past government. From the initial contract awards to some
leading militants in the Niger Delta, to the latter-day pact with
militia leaders in the South West, the exercise was devoid of
transparency and commonsense. Therefore, leaders of the Odua Peoples
Congress (OPC), which went public with notice of cessation of service
the other day over complaints of non-payment for their so-called
service, will do well to stomach their grievances and let Nigeria be.
The
OPC in a statement exactly three months after the alleged March 15
contract signing claimed it was calling off its services as the NNPC had
“abruptly sent SMS (short message service) message terminating the
pipeline security contract.” That sums up the untidy and unserious
manner in which the contractual agreement over a nation’s assets was
handled. Indeed, the contracts’ termination by the Federal Government
which reportedly drafted military personnel to reclaim control of the
facilities is the ideal thing to do.
A spokesman of former
President Goodluck Jonathan had once stoutly defended the pact with the
militia men and described it as being in the country’s interest, because
“crude oil production jumped up from 1.8 mbpd to 2.6mbpd…an income of
over $700 million per day to the government. So when you compared what
was paid to get this benefit, it pales into insignificance.” That was
propaganda stuff and it was rather curious then that a presidential
spokesman and not the NNPC was dishing out figures about operations in
the oil industry. No doubt, the contracts were mere patronage for
political hirelings.
However, if “oil majors were already
engaged in community protection of pipelines” according to the
government then, in addition to the civil defence and government task
forces’ efforts, was there any need for private groups to be contracted
again?
The question then is where is the Nigerian Security and
Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in all these when some officials decided
private groups were best suited for the surveillance duties? Two years
ago, one of the endless motions moved at the House of Representatives
acknowledged the legal existence of the Nigerian Security and Civil
Defence Corps Act 2007 (as amended) which empowers the corps to perform
certain specific functions. Section 3(1) (e) of the NSCDC Act actually
gives NSCDC the exclusive and explicit powers to protect all pipelines
in the country and to arrest, detain, investigate and prosecute suspects
arrested for involvement in pipeline vandalism.
The lawmakers
were right in agreeing that the huge money spent in servicing the
contracts to armed gangs could be invested in funding the NSCDC so the
body can carry out its statutory functions effectively rather than
fraudulently empowering a private security firm, contrary to the law.
A
report had documented a yearly payment of N5.6 billion to former
warlords for pipelines protection thus: ‘General’ Government Tompolo
Ekpemuopolo, N3.6b; Asari Dokubo, N1.44b; ‘General Ateke Tom, N560m; and
‘General’ Ebikabowei Boyloaf Victor Ben, N560m. The figures are
exclusive of other OPC leaders including Gani Adams, Dr. Fredrick Faseun
and “another person in Ondo” as latter-day additions covering the three
zones of the South West. That there was no unanimity of facts in the
contractors’ claims on the deal speaks volume too. While one was sure
the former President gave them the contracts because “Nigeria was losing
N1.3 trillion every year to vandals,” another credited NNPC with the
contract awards “when NNPC was losing N7 billion every month to
vandalisation.”
What manner of government would cede public
assets to outsiders or even ethnic militia leaders? This was the
ultimate in tardy governance. Time is now for the immediate cancellation
of all other such shady deals or contracts and a return to sanity.
Until
now, despite high priority all countries with such facilities place on
their assets, it has been notoriously difficult to achieve the
protection of both land-based and under-water pipelines against sabotage
or illegal tapping. In view of loss of significant revenue and damage
to the environment, the ability to pinpoint the location of any incident
is key to successful surveillance. And technology has offered a range
of solutions in this regard. The NNPC should therefore look beyond now
and take advantage of such innovations.
It is very wrong for any
government official or company to commit the country to shameful, shady
deals that cannot be defended. Those contracts were simply political
patronages taken to ridiculous depths. Never again must Nigeria be seen
to engage in such.
Credit: Nigerian Guardian
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