Niger Delta pipeline surveillance contract controversy

The controversy surrounding Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and its director, Osahon Okunbo, has evolved into a debate over contract decentralization versus operational efficacy. Investigative journalist Fejiro Oliver, representing the Guard Your Pipeline and I Guard My Own Movement, has clarified that his push for decentralizing surveillance contracts is based on the Petroleum Industry Act’s mandate for inclusive opportunities, rather than ethnic interests. He continues to question the concentration of approximately ₦2.1 trillion in contracts among a limited number of firms.

In support of PINL, the Niger Delta Ambassadors for Good Governance (NDAGG) maintains that the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities has cleared the company of allegations regarding financial recklessness.

Adding to this defense, the United Niger Delta Congress (UNDC) has formally urged the Nigerian Federal Government to extend PINL’s surveillance contract. The UNDC cited a technical sub-committee recommendation that dismissed petitions against Okunbo as unsubstantiated. The group pointed to significant operational milestones since August 2022, noting that crude oil delivery through the Trans Niger Pipeline to the Bonny Terminal reportedly increased from 3 percent to 98 percent by September 2026.

Furthermore, the UNDC reported that PINL’s activities led to the resumption of operations at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11 after an 18-month shutdown, the remediation of 2,049 illegal pipeline connections, and the destruction of 1,010 illegal refining clusters. The group noted that PINL’s operations currently involve 215 host communities and employ over 35,600 surveillance guards.