In a strong call to action, the Northern Peoples Forum (?ungiyar Mutanen Arewa) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to take immediate action and bring the Nigerian Navy segment operating in the oil rivers of the Niger-Delta back on track.
The Forum made this plea during a protest held outside the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) headquarters in Abuja yesterday, expressing their concerns over the activities of the Navy in the area.
The protesters bore placards with inscriptions relevant to their demands, calling for the President’s intervention. According to them, the segment of the Navy operating in the oil rivers has seemingly lost its focus.
The street demonstration was reportedly sparked by the recent arrest of some personnel of Tantita Security Ltd by the Nigerian Navy. They questioned the Navy’s action, highlighting the supposed interagency collaboration that should exist between the military and Tantita.
The group’s chairman, Sa’idu Bello, voiced the collective frustration and expressed concerns over the impact of these activities on Nigeria’s economic stability and called for immediate action from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Any circumstances under which the main source of the Nigerian economy is affected upsets not only the Nigerian state but several ancillary units and services that rely on the Nigerian economy”, he argued.
The Forum pressed for a new security template, urging the Nigerian Navy to focus on protecting the nation’s marine blue line and letting other security agencies police the waterways. It also called for an extension of the contract term for Tantita Security Services Ltd, which has been lauded for its efforts in curbing illegal activities in the oil river.
They argued that NNPCL’s GMD, Mele Kyari, had previously credited Tantita for a significant increase in oil production, which rose from an all-time low of less than 1 million barrels per day to an average of 1.47 million barrels per day.
