ONC Writes Open Letter To President Tinubu Over Decentralization Of The N2.1 Trillion Pipeline Surveillance

An Open letter to Mr. President by the Orashi National Congress ,ONC, on immediate call for the decentralization of the N2.1 trillion pipeline surveillance to Tantita & Maton Engineering, etc

His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
State House,
FCT. Abuja.

Your Excellency, Sir,

THE NEED FOR DIRECT INCLUSION OF ORASHI REGION AND STRATEGIC REVIEW OF PIPELINE / OIL & GAS FACILITIES SURVEILLANCE, CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION, AND REGIONAL STABILITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE 2027 ELECTION CYCLE.

The Orashi National Congress, ONC , a respected sociocultural organization of leaders and community representatives drawn from across the Orashi region which comprises of the Abua/Odual, Ahoada East, Ahoada West and ONELGA, writes to Your Excellency with urgency and deep concern regarding matters that bear both strategic national and political significance.

While our engagement began with a review of pipeline / oil & gas facilities surveillance arrangements, deliberations naturally extended to Nigeria’s persistent crude oil production shortfalls, fiscal pressures, institutional accountability, and the evolving dynamics between the Niger Delta, cum Orashi region and the Federal Government.

Although the Orashi National Congress acknowledges that the current pipeline/ oil and gas facilities surveillance framework were inherited from previous administration, it also agrees that governance is continuous, and the responsibility to address structural weaknesses, protect national revenue, and ensure regional inclusion rests squarely with Your Excellency and the current administration.

1. DECLINING OIL PRODUCTION AND STAKEHOLDER FRUSTRATION
Nigeria’s crude oil production continues to fall short of budgeted expectations. In 2025, production averaged 1.67 million barrels per day against a target of 2.06 million barrels per day, and declined further to approximately 1.46 million barrels per day in early 2026, below Nigeria’s OPEC quota.
These shortfalls represent not merely technical or economic issues but tangible operational and political vulnerabilities, with an estimated 93 million barrels of crude oil lost in 2025 alone, amounting to roughly $6.85 billion in unrealized revenue.

The Orashi National Congress ONC must respectfully convey deep frustration on behalf of our people who have repeatedly highlighted structural inefficiencies yet see minimal adjustment. This prolonged inaction risks alienating the very actors whose cooperation and influence are essential for both operational success and political alignment.

2. CURRENT SURVEILLANCE ARRANGEMENT: OPERATIONALLY AND POLITICALLY UNSOUND
The centralized, single-operator surveillance model is not fit for purpose. Sophisticated crude oil theft networks continue to evolve and operate with alarming persistence, while the existing system struggles to contain losses. Increasingly, there is a troubling perception among stakeholders that the current arrangement does not merely fail to prevent theft but, in certain respects, appears to enable it.

The recurring incidents of seized vessels laden with stolen crude within Nigerian waters, despite the presence of an active surveillance framework raise serious concerns. Such occurrences suggest, at minimum, systemic failure, and at worst, suspected connivance by persons of interest whose actions or inactions allow these breaches to persist, thereby depriving the nation of much-needed revenue required for effective governance and economic stability.

Political Cost of Centralization
Beyond operational inefficiency, the current arrangement carries significant political risk. Concentrating control in the hands of a few not only marginalizes high-impact local stakeholders, leaders and operators with influence across entire communities, but also risks undermining broader electoral strategy.

Your Excellency, effective national elections require the active engagement and alignment of influential community actors, not only at polling units but across economic, social, and local governance structures. By excluding such actors from meaningful participation in critical economic and operational systems, the current centralized model creates friction, erodes trust, and risks disengagement, thereby weakening political cohesion and voter mobilization capacity across the region.

Strategic Advantage of Decentralization
Decentralization offers a more resilient and strategically aligned alternative. It would:

Empower locally trusted operators with both operational credibility and political influence.
Strengthen collaboration between the Federal Government and regional stakeholders.
Enhance revenue protection while consolidating goodwill and shared responsibility.
Support Your Excellency’s broader political objectives, ensuring alignment and stability well beyond immediate polling units

Importantly, decentralization would create a multi-layered monitoring network, where multiple stakeholders operate within defined corridors, providing mutual oversight and accountability. In such a system, actors are not only responsible for performance but are also indirectly monitoring one another, making it significantly easier to detect compromise, collusion, or operational lapses in real time.
This distributed structure reduces the risk of systemic failure and makes it far more difficult for any single point of weakness to undermine the entire framework.

Our position therefore is that maintaining a centralized contract for a narrow group of operators not only weakens operational effectiveness but introduces a critical strategic vulnerability. It limits transparency, reduces accountability, and risks enabling the very losses it seeks to prevent.

Decentralization, by contrast, strengthens both operational integrity and political alignment, ensuring that those with local influence are invested in protecting national assets, while also reinforcing the broader objectives of stability, cohesion, and electoral success across the Niger Delta.

3. OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The Orashi National Congress ONC notes with deep concern the delays, narrowing of scope, and apparent pressures affecting the ongoing Senate review of the pipeline / oil & gas facilities surveillance contract. Credible observations indicate that key figures within government, including members of the National Assembly, have exerted coercive influence on committee members, at times invoking the President’s name to guide, or in some cases constrain the investigative process.
These actions have prevented the committee from fully achieving its mandate, slowing the pace of inquiry, limiting access to critical information, and reducing the likelihood of producing a substantive, actionable report. Such interference not only undermines institutional integrity but exacerbates stakeholder frustration, as repeated appeals for transparency and reform appear ignored or deliberately delayed.
Independent, transparent, and outcome-driven oversight is essential.

Accountability must not only exist, but it must also be visible. The current circumstances are a clear pointer that the President must look carefully within his inner circle to identify individuals with vested interests who may be lobbying to maintain this failed centralized structure, despite its operational and political shortcomings.

Failure to address these internal dynamics threatens both operational efficiency in pipeline / oil & gas facilities surveillance and political credibility, as stakeholders perceive that national interest is being subordinated to private influence. The Orashi National Congress ONC therefore emphasizes that decisive action and internal vigilance are required to restore both confidence and effectiveness in governance.

4. GROWING REGIONAL DISCONTENT
The Orashi region being the inner most center of Niger Delta has historically invested heavily in national political stability, including during the 2023 electoral cycle. Yet, current arrangements convey the perception that economic and operational influence is concentrated among a select few, leaving high-impact local stakeholders in Orashi region marginalized.
This perception is particularly dangerous given the region’s history of agitation, struggle, and diverse ethnic composition, which have historically fueled tensions whenever local grievances were ignored or dismissed. The Niger Delta’s complex social fabric, comprising multiple ethnic groups with distinct interests, means that perceived exclusion or inequitable allocation of economic and operational power can quickly escalate into broader social and political unrest.

Unchecked, these dynamics risk eroding cooperation, undermining trust, and triggering renewed agitation, threatening the fragile peace that has been painstakingly cultivated over decades. We in the Orashi National Congress ONC emphasizes that without urgent corrective measures, the current system risks destabilizing both regional security and broader national initiatives, undermining the very stability and alignment necessary for sustained economic development and political cohesion.

5. RECOMMENDED PATHWAY TO ORASHI NATIONAL CONGRESS
To protect national revenue, strengthen political inclusion, and enhance operational efficiency, the Orashi National Congress ONC respectfully recommends:

Decentralization of pipeline / oil & gas facilities surveillance operations across States.
Engagement of multiple qualified operators from the Orashi region in particular with local knowledge and community trust
Clear, measurable performance benchmarks, tied directly to production improvement and oil theft reduction
Strengthening independent oversight mechanisms, ensuring credibility, autonomy, and resourcing
These measures are practical, achievable, and strategically aligned with Your Excellency’s goals of inclusive governance, political cohesion, and national unity.

6. CONCLUSION
While the current arrangements were inherited, the responsibility for correcting structural inefficiencies and ensuring stakeholder inclusion lies squarely with the current administration. Nigeria’s oil production challenges, though significant, are solvable with decisive action, structural reform, and transparent governance.
our people in Orashi region remains committed to national stability, development, and progress. However, such commitment is contingent upon fairness, inclusion, and accountability.

Your Excellency, the Orashi National Congress ONC, urges urgent engagement on these recommendations. Continuing to concentrate economic power among a few actors is not only operationally flawed but politically risky, potentially undermining support, engagement, and alignment necessary to advance Your Excellency’s broader electoral and governance objectives. Decentralization, by contrast, enhances production safeguards, restores stakeholder confidence, and strengthens political cohesion, directly supporting the President’s vision for stability, national unity, and total regional alignment.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Please accept the assurances of our highest regards for your office and person.

From Amb Comrade Emeni Ibe (JP AP), President General ,Orashi National Congress ,ONC.