Chairman of Iwere Forum, Chief Omolubi Newuwumi, has urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to jettison policies that could stoke crisis in the Niger Delta.
Newuwumi, who is a Chief in Warri Kingdom, lamented NNPCL’s methods of awarding pipeline surveillance contracts, saying the organisation is interested in pleasing some individuals at the expense of peace.
In a statement made available to Vanguard, he expressed displeasure over the continual threats directed at surveillance organisations with Itsekiri ties, stressing that it is not right.
The statement reads: “An understanding between the Delta State government and the duo ethnic groups of Ijaw and Itsekiri that under no circumstance should any government ‘remove what is due any member of one ethnic group to create advantage for anyone in the other ethnic group’. That is, whatever belongs to the Ijaw should for example never be denied them to favor the Itsekiri; and vice-versa. This is a hard agreement that has helped to sustain the cordiality between the two ethnic groups for over two decades now.
“Chief Omolubi expressed anger over what he described as unending tendency to continuously threaten the surveillance firm linked to Itsekiri persons to favor a particular firm undoubtedly linked to an individual of Ijaw extraction; and painfully that when in performance, such firm linked to Itsekiri individuals’ ownership has not fallen short of expectations in the performance of what it is tasked to do.
“He appealed to the officials of the NNPCL to seek other avenues including creating other opportunities that abound to favor those they may want to please, and not to willfully disadvantage any Itsekiri person or surveillance firm to favor any person of Ijaw extraction and his surveillance firm; and vice-versa.
“In my view, the top priority for the federal government as at today and NNPCL should know is to significantly boost oil production from the appalling current 1.2 million barrels per day to 2 million barrels per day or higher. This objective must take precedence over any actions that could potentially sow discord among ethnic communities in the Warri area.”