RE: ORITSEMEYIWA EYESAN SHOULD BE RELIEVED OF HER POSITION AT NNPCL, FOR ETHNIC BIAS IN PIPELINES SURVEILLANCE CONTRACT AWARD

ITSEKIRI CONSULTATIVE CONGRESS (ICC)

NO. 7 SWAMP ROAD, GRA WARRI, DELTA STATE

Friday February 2, 2024

HIS EXCELLENCY

PRESIDENT ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, PRESIDENTIAL VILLA, ASO ROCK

We wish to draw your attention to the above subject circulated in the print media on Thursday January 25, 2024 by a faceless group claiming to be the Niger Delta Forum For Truth and Justice (NDFTJ).

Mr. President, ordinarily we would not have bothered to reply a “sponsored” blackmailer but because the author of the publication tried albeit unsuccessfully to intimidate, bully, malign, tarnish, and cowed our Mother, Sister, and Daughter the current Executive Vice President Upstream of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited NNPCL to kowtow to their unscrupulous, spurious, nefarious, and perfidious demands.

Mr. President as critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta who have borne the brunt of crude Oil exploration, we are not a meddlesome interloper neither are we doing this to scurry favour from anyone but to set the records straight and help your administration to maintain the peace currently being enjoyed in the Niger Delta we have decided to make this publication.

Your Excellency, the call by the NDFTJ for you to revoke, terminate, or sack Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan over a purported influence in the process of re-award of pipeline surveillance contract to Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) whom they claimed is owned by the Olu of Warri His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR is not only false but a calculated attempt to drag the name of our Revered Monarch and Father into the mud to satisfy an envious neighbour whose penchant for violence, lawlessness, criminality, greed, and clandestine activities against the Nigerian State and especially the Itsekiri People have been known for at least about a century.

HISTORY OF PIPELINE SURVEILLANCE DURING THE FOURTH REPUBLIC

Mr. President, we recall that the issues of oil theft in the Niger Delta region has been an age long issues for over five decades, and went out of control during the ‘infamous’ Warri Crisis between 1997-2003. It continued unabated even after the crisis until in 2011, when the Federal Government awarded a pipeline surveillance contract worth $103 million (N15 billion) Global West Vessel Specialists Limited in a deal that shocked many Nigerians. On June 4, 2014 during the National Conference a Niger Delta Leader and foremost Ijaw Nationalist Pa. Edwin Clarke while speaking to journalists called for the termination of the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Global West, and other groups. In the report monitored on all National dailies, the former federal commissioner for finance asserted that oil theft has been on since the early 70s and even indicted military officials in his statements.

During the President Muhammadu Buhari regime, the pipeline surveillance contract was awarded under an Ijaw man Timipre Silver as Minister of Petroleum Resources, and another Ijaw man Adokiye Tombomieye as Executive Vice President Upstream to few companies including at least two companies owned by Ijaw men but nobody including the president of NDFTJ accused either the Minister of Petroleum or the EVP UPSTREAM then as being corrupt or being ethnic biased probably since it involves Ijaw people. This is not to make any aspersions that the award of the contract was skewed to favour any ethnic Nationality or the Ijaw ethnic Nationality in particular.

Today, the president of NDFTJ has suddenly woken up from his deep slumber to call for the sack of our Mother and Daughter who has been an astute professional, and arguably the best ever career woman in Nigeria for the last decade in a career spanning over 30 years in both private and public circles.

Your Excellency, the Itsekiri people inhabits Warri Kingdom (Warri South, Warri North, and Warri South-West) Warri Kingdom is about 544 years old.

Mr. President, the Itsekiri Nation (under Warri Kingdom) is the single ethnic Nationality in Nigeria with the highest Oil & Gas production quantum but unfortunately this has not reflected in our communities and homeland in terms of Federal infrastructure and appointments over the years since the death of our Nigeria’s first Finance Minister Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh.

The Itsekiri People have their aboriginal homeland majorly in Delta State, Edo State, and Ondo State.

The Itsekiri Nation today produces approximately 32% of Nigeria’s Crude Oil and Gas is host to facilities such as Shell Dom Gas Plant Otumara, Chevron Tank Farm, Chevron EGTL Plant, Sonam Gas Field, Okan Field, Dibi Field, Abiteye Field, Olero Field, Uton Nana, Macaraba, Santon, Ogidgben Flow Station, Warri River Flow Station, WRPC, Tans-Forcados Pipeline, Chevron Export Terminal (BOP) just to mention but a few.

The Itsekiri People has been the most peace loving people in the Niger Deltaand Nigeria at large despite several years of neglect and oppression from successive government.

Today, our People, Land, and Crown are under continuous threat from our hostile neighbours despite the efforts of our Revered Monarch His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III CFR, the Olu of Warri who immediately he ascended the throne of his forebears extended a hand of fellowship to our neighbours for us to “prosper together”.

PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE NIGERIA LIMITED (PINL)

Mr. President, we wish to put it on record that our Revered Monarch His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III CFR, the Olu of Warri (one of the only three natural Traditional Rulers in the South South region) does not own Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) incorporated in 2019 under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, neither is the Monarch a registered trustees of the company but assuming without conceding he holds a vested interest in PINL we wish to know the following;

1. Does the Constitution of Nigeria forbids a Traditional Ruler from carrying out legitimate business in Nigeria?

2. Does the Constitution of Nigeria forbids or bar anyone from the same ethnic Nationality as his/her Traditional Ruler from being promoted or holding a Management position (which maybe deservingly so required due to hardwork) in any government owned establishment including the NNPCL?

3. Can the Executive Vice President Upstream of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) single handedly award, renewed or review upward a Pipeline Surveillance Contract to his/her kith and kin or overlord without passing through the necessary due process of the NNPCL?

4. Is the award of the Pipeline Surveillance Contract based on ethnicity or tribal biase?

Your Excellency, PINL like other companies were awarded pipeline surveillance contract by the NNPCL after a meticulous due process and her contract renewal (if any) should go through same meticulous process.

Mr. President, to our knowledge the process of pipeline surveillance contract does not rest solely on the table of Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, and as such to single her out for blackmail, character assassination, and bullying by the NDFTJ is not only discriminatory, inflammatory, but contravens Chapter 4 Section 42(1) of the Nigerian Constitution. The publication of THE President of NDFTJ is purposely orchestrated to fan ethnic violence and anarchy, thereby putting the life of our dear Mother, Sister, and Daughter at risk.

MRS ORITSEMEYIWA EYESAN AT A GLANCE

Your Excellency, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan has been an astute, effervescent, clear-sighted, creative, decisive, discerning, innovative, inquisitive, intuitive, observant, quick-witted, resourceful, shrewd, tenacious, and sincere professional in her over 30 years career with sterling achievements which includes; “midwifing the first-ever non-associated gas commercialization in Nigeria and delivered the renewal of Nigeria’s Deepwater Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) in record time, paving the way for over $10 billion in eco-friendly investments”.

OUR DEMANDS

Mr. President, in view of the above subject matter, we wish to make the following demands;

1. That the President of the Niger Delta Forum For Truth and Justice (NDFTJ) be declared wanted, arrested, investigated, and prosecuted (if necessary) since he seems to know so much about Oil bunkering points and Oil theft.

2. That due to the fact that the Publication President of the NDTJ has further exposed Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan to undue negative publicity portraying her in bad light to be working against other ethnic groups in the Niger Delta and knowing how volatile the Niger Delta region has been, her life is has been put at risk and Chief Ejiroghene Marierie has to arrested to take an undertaking for the safety and security of Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan.

3. That since the publication of the NDFTJ is primarily targeted at both our Revered Monarch His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III CFR, the Olu of Warri and Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan by the president of the NDFTJ, which is laced with falsehood, treachery, hatred, and perfidy, Chief Ejiroghene Marierie should be made to tender an unreserved apology in not less than 10 National dailies after his arrest and interrogation before he is released (if found not to be guilty of sabotaging the economy of Nigeria.

Mr. President, Finally we wish to plead that the above demands be giving the seriousness it deserves as the Itsekiri People holds their King and Monarch as the only supreme being (next only to God almighty) that they owe their entire life to and as such will not allow his name, and the ancient throne of Warri Kingdom be thrashed to the dust bin by an individual suffering from infantile rascality.

Comr. Edema Collins Oritsetimeyin

(National Publicity Secretary)

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