Urhobo Groups Warn Against Alleged Hijack of Pipeline Surveillance Campaign, Seek Fair Contract Allocation

The leadership of Odavwe R’Urhobo and the Urhobo Stakeholders on Pipeline Surveillance Contracts have raised concerns over what they described as attempts by some political figures of Urhobo extraction to take over the campaign for the decentralisation of pipeline surveillance contracts in the Niger Delta.

In a joint press statement issued on April 15, 2026, the groups said they have spent nearly a year advocating for a more inclusive framework for pipeline surveillance contract allocation across the region.

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According to the statement, their delegation travelled to Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Calabar, and Abuja, where they participated in meetings involving Niger Delta ethnic nationalities and engaged relevant stakeholders in pursuit of reforms to the existing pipeline surveillance structure.

The groups maintained that individuals who did not participate in the advocacy campaign should not claim ownership or benefits from the initiative at its concluding stage.

They called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to decentralise pipeline surveillance contracts by awarding them directly to recognised state-based structures and ethnic nationalities across the Niger Delta.

The organisations further urged authorities to ensure that those who championed the campaign from the beginning are not excluded from any eventual implementation process.

Reaffirming their commitment to peaceful advocacy, the groups stated that the Urhobo Nation would continue to pursue lawful means to protect what they described as the integrity of the struggle.

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They also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, and the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL to ensure that fairness, equity, transparency, and genuine stakeholder participation remain the guiding principles in the award of pipeline surveillance contracts.

Signatories For Odavwe R’Urhobo:

Chief Mathias Efe Olowu – National Chairman

Comrade Paul Efe Osumiri – National Secretary

Ms. Endurance Abraham – Woman Leader

Hon. Moses Atumu

Elder Francis Akponome

For Urhobo Stakeholders on Pipeline Surveillance Contracts

Elder Victor Ezewu – Chairman

Chief Sam Arikoro

Comrade Paul Enaife

Ms. Eloho Otu

Comrade Lucky Abinoro

For Urhobo Stakeholders on Pipeline Surveillance Contracts:

Elder Victor Ezewu – Chairman

Chief Sam Arikoro

Comrade Paul Enaife

Ms. Eloho Otu

Comrade Lucky Abinoro