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NICHOLAS UWERUNONYE
An ex-militant leader and Head of the Association of Urhobo Mayoral Family Crown (AUMFC), Dr. Eshanekpe Israel Agimor, popularly known as Akpodoro, has called on the Federal Government to review a pipeline surveillance contract he alleged is linked to former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege.
Akpodoro made the call in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja, arguing that individuals associated with opposition politics should not continue to benefit from sensitive federal security-related contracts.
The ex-militant leader spoke amid reports of Omo-Agege’s alleged planned defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), although the former lawmaker had not publicly confirmed the move as of press time.
In the statement, Akpodoro alleged that a pipeline surveillance contract in Urhobo land was being handled through a company he claimed is linked to the former Deputy Senate President. He, however, did not provide documentary evidence to support the claim.
He argued that the Federal Government should consider reallocating such contracts to ex-militant leaders and community stakeholders in the Niger Delta, whom he said were originally expected to benefit from such security arrangements under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
According to him, surveillance contracts in the oil-rich region were intended to create economic opportunities for youths and former agitators as part of ongoing peace and security efforts in the Niger Delta.
Akpodoro further contended that allowing politically exposed persons or their associates to retain such contracts could generate controversy, particularly in a tense political climate ahead of future elections.
He also claimed that many youths and leaders in Urhobo communities felt excluded from the economic benefits tied to pipeline surveillance operations in the area.
The former militant leader urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to review the arrangement in the interest of equity and regional inclusion.
Efforts to obtain reaction from Omo-Agege or his associates on the allegations were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Pipeline surveillance contracts form part of broader efforts by the Federal Government and private security operators to curb crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism across the Niger Delta region.
