“Our Quest For Equity In Distribution of Surveillance Contracts Not Negotiable” – Isoko Youths Congress

A coalition of Isoko youths under the aegis of the Isoko National Youths Congress, INYC has called on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government to expedite action on awarding the pipeline surveillance contract of the Isoko portion to their youth leader who it noted is the face of the struggle for the development of the Isoko nation.

Mathew Edugbo, who is the national president of the Congress stated in Abuja over the weekend that the quest by the group for equitable distribution of the pipeline security contract awards that sparked controversy is not negotiable. The group had accused the Mele Kyari-led Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL of nepotism in the alleged lopsided contract awarded to some politically exposed persons in the past.

Edugbo noted that except for the NNPCL award of the contract to the leadership of the agitators who he said are the pivot and drivers of Isoko’s interest, their agitation will not cease.

The Congress called on the Group Managing Director of the NNPCL to consider the frontrunners of the Isoko agitation and the interest of the larger population of Isoko youths and never to consider awarding the same contract to a renegade of the old contractors.

According to the group who claimed to be privy to an ongoing plan to award the security protection contract of oil and gas infrastructure including pipelines protection contract in Isoko land to somebody who doesn’t see Isoko nation beyond himself, cronies and his immediate family members warning that, doing so could plunge Isoko nation into unending anarchy.

The group stated that to a reasonable extent, it trusts in the capacity of the current administration to make good decisions on who to award the contract to through NNPCL but it fears that some renegades of the unwanted contractors outside Isoko nation are pushing their stooge within the ranks of the ruling party in Delta State to hijack the contract from the leadership of the INYC.

At the risk of sounding immodest, Edugbo noted that the struggle to withdraw the surveillance contract from a non-Isoko contractor was spearheaded by “the well-trusted leadership of the INYC and should be under moral consideration awarded those behind the struggle who he said are the genuine representative of the people.

Additionally, the group warned that although there’s no division in the ranks of Isoko youths worldwide but it wants to stand aloof why “some opportunists ambush and hijack the contract underdeservedly” noting that such a situation if allowed will come with its dire consequences.

The Congress called on all sons and daughters of the Isoko nation worldwide to close ranks to ensure that genuine representatives of the Isoko nation are not shortchanged. It further stated the inherent value chains of rightfully awarding the contract to an honest youth leader to include massive and favourable engagement of Isoko youths, growth and development of the youth population who will be empowered by such contract and thereby positively impacting on peace, unity and progress of Isoko land.

“We have decided to take the bull by its horn by directly asking the NNPC to award the contract to our notable leader in whom have implicit confidence. The thrust of our struggle for motherland is Isoko socio-economic renaissance.” The group stated.