Decentralisation push threatens gains in pipeline security, stakeholders warn
Growing calls to decentralise Nigeria’s pipeline surveillance system have raised fresh concerns among policy analysts and security stakeholders, who caution that fragmenting oversight of critical oil infrastructure could undermine recent
- By Elo Edremoda, Warri
Growing calls to decentralise Nigeria’s pipeline surveillance system have raised fresh concerns among policy analysts and security stakeholders, who caution that fragmenting oversight of critical oil infrastructure could undermine recent improvements in production and stability.
The debate, involving former militant leaders such as Ateke Tom, Boyloaf, and Shoot-at-Sight, is being presented by proponents as a demand for equity.
However, a Niger Delta youth leader, Preye Tambou, argued that the agitation is driven more by efforts to redistribute lucrative federal contracts than by a genuine intent to strengthen security outcomes.
“The decentralisation being demanded is a security disaster waiting to happen. Breaking surveillance into multiple militant fiefdoms will multiply extortion points, complicate intelligence gathering, encourage rival armed structures, and return the Niger Delta to a competitive militarised economy,” Tambou said in a statement on Friday.
Pipeline surveillance, a federally controlled security function, has in recent years been consolidated under private operators, including Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited. Supporters of the current framework credit it with curbing oil theft and boosting output after prolonged periods of losses.
Tambou dismissed arguments based on regional entitlement, insisting that pipeline surveillance remains a federal responsibility rather than an ethnic concession.
“Pipeline surveillance is a Federal security assignment, not an ethnic inheritance,” he said, adding that public policy should not be shaped by personal grievances, historical rivalries, or attempts to placate former militant networks.
Nigeria previously lost hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil daily to theft and vandalism, contributing to declining production levels and revenue shortfalls.
Tambou warned that dismantling the current framework without a proven alternative could expose oil infrastructure to renewed sabotage and reverse recent gains.
“None of the agitators has produced data showing a rise in vandalism, pipeline breaches, or oil theft under the current arrangement. The argument is built entirely on feelings… Emotional entitlement is not evidence,” he posited.
He further cautioned against policy decisions driven by pressure rather than performance.
The activist also pointed to international practice, noting that major oil-producing nations maintain unified command structures for protecting energy infrastructure, as fragmentation risked creating overlapping authorities and weakening accountability.
“Where progress exists, the responsible government consolidates, not experiments,” Tambou said, urging authorities to prioritise competence over sentiment: “Nigeria cannot afford sentimental restructuring in its most delicate revenue sector.”
With oil revenue central to fiscal recovery, the Federal Government now faces a critical choice to either maintain a centralised, performance-based system or yield to growing political pressure for broader participation in surveillance contracts.
