Oil revenue: Ex-militants demand renewal of NNPC pipelines contract

Repentant militants in the Niger Delta are making a renewed case for the renewal of the contract for the security of oil pipelines belonging to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation by the Federal Government as a way of ensuring that oil production capacity of the nation remains at an all-time high.
The ex-militants, under the aegis of the Leadership Forum for Peace in the Niger Delta, are also of the opinion that the prevailing peace in the region can be sustained if the Federal Government ensured adequate funding of the amnesty programme.
The National President of the Forum, General Reuben Wilson, said these in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Friday, shortly on arrival from Benin, Edo State where the ex-militants met to review the state of affairs in the region and passed a vote of confidence on the Presidential Adviser on the Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku.
Wilson lamented that cases of crude oil theft may have been high because all the over 3,000 ex-militants that were engaged to protect the pipelines were now roaming the streets because the contract had been cancelled by the Federal Government.
According to him, if the Federal Government wants the pipelines to be fully protected, it should ensure that the salaries meant for the security contract is released as at when due.
Wilson said: “We can stop the illegal refineries in the creeks.
“You can see the difference between when we were in the creeks and we used to have a production capacity of 600 barrels per day pay.
“Now, we can produce up to 2.7 million barrels per day.
“The difference is clear.
“That means if we continued that way, the nation would make more money from oil.
“They should renew the contract and we will assure Mr. President that the pipelines would be safe.
“We have told our boys to relax and we hope the Federal Government would see reasons and renew the contract.”
Wilson also urged the Federal Government to ensure that the presidential amnesty office was not starved of funds because “the presidential adviser has been able to drive the programme successfully over this period.
“Those of us who are (former ex-militant) leaders met in Edo and we decided to pass a vote of confidence on Kuku because we believe that he has done very well.”