Pipeline Surveillance in Urhobo Land Should Be Awarded to an Urhobo Indigene, Group Tells FG

Post created on 10:59 am

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‎An Urhobo group under the Urhobo Renaissance Group (URG) has called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to adhere to the provisions of the constitution and award the pipeline surveillance contract in Urhobo land to an Urhobo son.
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‎The group, addressing the issues in a statement through the National Chairman, Olorogun Akpoyibo Clifford Erhiegueke, stated that nobody should take the quietness of the Urhobos as a sign of weakness or stupidity, as no one has a monopoly on violence.
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‎They argued that denying the Urhobo people such an opportunity goes against key federal laws and international treaties that protect the rights of host communities in oil and gas-producing regions.
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‎The URG president made it clear that the people of Urhobo have the right to self-determination, free prior information, and participation in decision-making on matters concerning them, as recognized under international treaties ratified by Nigeria.
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He stressed that since the pipelines and facilities are in their backyard, it is only necessary for their protection and should therefore be entrusted to a competent Urhobo indigene, not a non-indigene.