The Itsekiri Youths for Good Governance (IYGG) have issued a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu over ongoing calls to decentralise pipeline surveillance contracts in the Niger Delta, describing the push as a potential catalyst for renewed unrest in the oil-rich region.
In a public statement released on Monday, the IYGG criticised efforts to redistribute pipeline surveillance responsibilities to regional operators, branding the campaign as “dangerous and self-serving.”
Signe by Mone Oris, Chairman, and Metsaghanrun S. Oki, Secretary, of the Itsekiri Youths for Good Governance.
the group claimed that the decentralisation agenda is motivated not by genuine concerns over fairness, but by vested interests seeking to exploit oil infrastructure for illegal bunkering and crude oil theft.
Recalling the turbulent years marked by militancy, pipeline vandalism, and widespread economic disruption, the youth organisation cautioned that the hard-won peace currently enjoyed in the Niger Delta should not be jeopardised for political expediency.
They emphasised that existing surveillance contractors have consistently demonstrated the capacity to safeguard national assets and maintain stability in the volatile region.
“Decentralisation, as currently being proposed, is nothing but a coded attempt to legitimise disorder and create multiple centres of unregulated control,” the statement read. “Pipeline surveillance is a matter of national security requiring competence and proven capacity, not political patronage.”
The IYGG urged President Tinubu to instead reinforce the current framework, advocating for expanded operational coverage and logistical support for contractors who have already proven effective in curbing oil theft.
The youth group also called on traditional rulers, youth organisations, and political stakeholders across the Niger Delta to resist divisive narratives designed to inflame community tensions. They stressed that regional development depends on unity, lawful economic activity, and collective responsibility.
“We must not allow a few desperate actors to drag the entire Niger Delta back into an era of violence, destruction, and economic sabotage,” the statement concluded.