…Urges Presidency to Decentralise Regional Pipeline Security

There was a time when the mention of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and the Ijaw National Congress (INC) evoked pride and a strong sense of collective identity among Ijaw people across the Niger Delta.

According to Jude Gbaboyor, that legacy is now facing a serious test.

In a statement, Gbaboyor criticised the current leadership of the IYC and INC, particularly under Doubra Okotete, accusing the organisations of drifting away from their traditional roles as advocates for justice, community welfare and the protection of Ijaw interests.

He argued that the organisations should be more concerned about the welfare of ordinary Ijaw people, including families seeking answers over missing persons, than about defending commercial interests connected to pipeline surveillance contracts.

“Where was this strong voice and urgency when our own Ijaw sons, Balamene Karowei and Charles Korubo, mysteriously disappeared?” Gbaboyor asked, while calling for the circumstances surrounding their disappearance to be properly investigated.

Gbaboyor also raised allegations concerning the activities of individuals associated with pipeline surveillance operations in the region. These allegations, he stressed, should be subjected to independent investigation and established through due legal process rather than settled through political accusations.

He questioned why, in his view, the IYC's public advocacy has placed significant emphasis on the continuation of pipeline surveillance contracts, arguing that the economic benefits of such arrangements should not become concentrated in the hands of a few individuals or companies.

The statement further criticised what Gbaboyor described as an unhealthy concentration of political, economic and security influence around Oporoza.

He warned that allowing influential individuals to accumulate excessive control over regional security and economic arrangements could undermine community confidence and democratic institutions.

“The wealth of the Niger Delta belongs to all its people,” Gbaboyor stated, arguing that regional resources and opportunities should be distributed more broadly across communities rather than becoming the preserve of particular interests.

He therefore urged President Bola Tinubu and the Presidency to reconsider the current structure of pipeline surveillance arrangements and explore a more decentralised model that would give qualified communities and organisations across the Niger Delta an opportunity to participate.

According to him, such a model could encourage broader economic participation while reducing the concentration of security responsibilities and commercial opportunities in one area.

Gbaboyor also appealed to Nigeria's security agencies to investigate allegations of kidnapping, unlawful detention and other abuses made in connection with the region, stressing that allegations involving human rights must be handled through lawful and independent institutions.

He maintained that neither political influence nor commercial contracts should place anyone beyond scrutiny.

The statement also contained a direct warning to the leadership of the IYC and INC, urging them not to allow the historical identity and collective interests of the Ijaw people to become subordinate to the interests of individual power brokers.

Gbaboyor argued that the credibility of Ijaw institutions ultimately depends on their ability to speak for ordinary people, particularly youths and families affected by insecurity, rather than becoming perceived as advocates for powerful individuals.

He called for greater transparency, accountability and inclusiveness in decisions affecting the Niger Delta, insisting that sustainable peace and increased crude-oil production cannot be achieved through fear or excessive concentration of power.

For Gbaboyor, the central issue is ultimately bigger than any individual or organisation: it is about whether the Ijaw people can retain collective control over the institutions, resources and political voice built through generations of struggle.

He urged the Presidency to broaden participation in pipeline surveillance, strengthen lawful security institutions and ensure that allegations of wrongdoing are investigated impartially.

The statement concludes with a call for the Niger Delta's economic and political future to be built around justice, accountability, shared opportunity and the rule of law, rather than the dominance of a single individual or network of interests.