The Ijaw Publishers’ Forum (IPF) has called on leaders and stakeholders in the Niger Delta to redirect their energy from disputes over pipeline surveillance contracts to what it described as “core, unresolved demands” affecting the oil-rich region.
At a press conference on April 2, 2026, IPF President, Comrade Ozobo Austin, expressed concern over the growing disagreements among ex-agitators and stakeholders over surveillance contracts, warning that such public disputes risk derailing the broader struggle for environmental justice, resource control and self-determination.
According to the forum, the intense focus on the pipeline surveillance contract handled by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited is a distraction from more pressing issues, including the allocation of oil blocs to indigenes, the relocation of International Oil Companies’ operational headquarters to the Niger Delta, and the rehabilitation of communities devastated by years of oil exploration and conflict.
The IPF maintained that pipeline surveillance is not exclusive to Tantita, noting that other private firms are also engaged under similar arrangements across the region.
The group stressed that High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, should not be made the focal point of persistent criticism, especially given what it described as visible gains recorded through Tantita’s involvement, including job creation, improved security and increased oil production.
“As an intellectual arm of the Ijaw struggle, we are worried that key players are at loggerheads over a mere pipeline contract,” the statement read. “We have seen situations where individuals from oil-producing and non-oil-producing areas handled such contracts without controversy or threats. Why then should this become a source of division among us?”
The forum urged aggrieved stakeholders to resolve their differences privately rather than in the media, warning that public altercations portray the region’s leadership in a poor light and weaken collective bargaining power.
IPF lamented that despite being the hub of Nigeria’s oil production, the Niger Delta remains underdeveloped, with communities grappling with poverty, environmental degradation and neglect.
It accused both the Federal Government and oil companies of failing to adequately address the ecological damage caused by decades of oil exploration.
The group also revived calls for the implementation of the 2014 National Conference recommendations convened under former President Goodluck Jonathan, alongside demands for environmental remediation, compensation for affected communities and meaningful development investments in the region.
“It is not wrong for some stakeholders to handle pipeline contracts while others pursue oil blocs, drilling contracts and pipeline laying projects,” the IPF noted. “What is wrong is allowing these issues to divide us and distract from the larger struggle.”
The forum appealed to political leaders, traditional rulers, youths and community representatives to rise above personal interests and prioritise the future of the Niger Delta.
“The reality is that the Niger Delta is richly endowed with oil and gas, yet its people live in deprivation. The struggle for resource control, environmental justice and self-determination must not be reduced to arguments over contracts. We must demand concrete and measurable action from government and oil companies to ensure that the wealth of the region benefits its people,” the statement added.
