BY John Odhe, YENAGOA
A group under the aegis of Niger Delta Development Monitoring Group (NIDDEMOG) has advised the Ijaws and people of the Niger Delta not to consider pipeline surveillance contracts as exchange for resource control.
Executive Director of NIDDEMOG, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio in a statement cautioned the Ijaw people against allowing surveillance jobs to distract them from their longstanding struggle for resource control, economic justice, and environmental rights.
Speaking on the Ijaw struggle, James maintained that the aspirations of the Ijaw people remained rooted in resource control, warning against reducing the clamour to the pursuit of surveillance contracts.
“It is the right of every Ijaw person, like every other Nigerian, to be awarded surveillance or other government contracts. However, we must not lose sight of our collective cause or abandon the Ijaw question in exchange for temporary gains,” he said.
The group also urged communities across Ijaw land to strengthen local security measures in response to the growing wave of insecurity across the country.
He called on community leaders and youths to establish functional vigilante groups to safeguard their communities, urging residents to profile strangers living or conducting business in their areas as part of efforts to curb criminal activities.
James said communities must take greater responsibility for protecting lives and property while working closely with relevant security agencies.
He further called on the federal government to establish and deploy Mangrove Forest Guards to secure the vast mangrove forests of the Niger Delta, which he said had increasingly become hideouts for criminal and illegal activities.
According to him, protecting the mangrove ecosystem was critical not only to regional security but also to preserving one of the country’s most valuable environmental assets.
The executive director also urged the Bayelsa State government to take deliberate steps to protect natural resources along the state’s coastline.
He cited the recent Court of Appeal judgment on inland waterways, which he said strengthened the role of state governments in managing such resources.
He stressed that while surveillance contracts may provide employment opportunities, they should not replace the broader demand for equity, justice, and greater control over the resources of the Niger Delta.
Nengi James also appealed to political leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, and other stakeholders to place unity and peace above personal interests.
According to him, sustainable development in Ijaw land could only thrive in an atmosphere of peace, cooperation and a shared commitment to the collective aspirations of the people.
