The Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III has challenged a Niger Delta activist, Asari Dokubo, to show evidence of his allegation that the monarch and others received the sum of N2.7 trillion annually from pipeline surveillance contracts.
The Sole Representative of the Monarch to NNCLimited/JV Partners, Prince Collins Oritsetjmeyin Edema, threw the challenge in a statement on Tuesday following the allegation.
Recall that Dokubo had questioned the alleged award of pipeline surveillance contracts to some individuals and companies, accusing the Olu of Warri and others of receiving the said amount on a yearly basis.
Replying in the statement, Edema stated that Dokubo’s latest intervention cannot be divorced entirely from the persona he has cultivated over several decades, adding that his public image remains deeply associated with militancy, confrontation and an uncompromising style of political expression.
According to him, there are consequences beyond immediate argument when statements are made about the Olu of Warri, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, PINL, Tompolo or other actors in a politically and ethnically sensitive environment.
He further noted that pipeline surveillance contracts in Nigeria are not ordinary commercial arrangements, stressing that Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure constitutes a critical national asset.
Edema reiterated that the security of pipelines has direct implications for crude-oil production, government revenue, foreign exchange earnings and the wider stability of the national economy.
According to him, the Niger Delta has paid a heavy price for politics conducted through confrontation and inflammatory rhetoric, lamenting that it would be deeply unfortunate if old habits of militancy and unguarded speech were allowed to reopen ethnic anxieties that responsible stakeholders are trying to put behind them.
“The attention of the Sole Representative of His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse Ill, CFRthe Olu of Warri to NNPC Limited, has been drawn to the recent public allegation by Mr Asari Dokubo that His Majesty receives the sum of N2.7 trillion annually from pipeline surveillance contracts.
“Given the extraordinary nature of this allegation, its potential implications for the reputation of the Olu of Warri, and, more importantly, the strategic importance of pipeline surveillance to the Nigerian state, we consider it necessary to respond publicly and directly to the relevant institutions of the federal government.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the allegation that the Olu of Warri receives N2.7 trillion annually from pipeline surveillance contracts is categorically rejected
“We challenge Mr Dokubo to produce the documentary evidence upon which this extraordinary claim is based,” the statement said.