NSE Victor Udoh, President-General, NDPA rejects vandalism for talks at press conference
…appreciate Pinal's community engagement approach
More militant and activist groups have come forward to reject violence or pipeline vandalism, and are now opting for dialogue and negotiation.
This is because one of the groups has stated that they will end the violence and bring prosperity to the oil sector.
The Ijaw group recently condemned militancy, saying they have embraced peace and cohesion.
Following this, another group came out in the week to support negotiations over pipeline vandalism. By this, most observers say that the era of pipeline vandalism in the oil sector may soon be coming to an end as the argument against vandalism seems to be gaining momentum.
An activist group says people must move away from brutality and fighting towards dialogue, saying the new approach has brought much to the Niger Delta.
Addressing what the group termed the ‘World Press Conference’ in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, the Niger Delta Progressive Alliance (NDPA), led by the President-General of the NSE, Victor Udoh, called for a new thinking that will bring more to the region.
Udoh called on major pipeline safety companies to close ranks in cooperation rather than competition.
He confirmed that the progressives in his group and coalition have no interest in destroying pipelines. “We are negotiators, not fighters. Fighters run away but negotiators keep their word and keep talking until they win. Niger Delta has won many things this way, although we are still applying pressure.”
He appealed to all groups in the region to take note that there must be a change in advocacy, saying the focus should be on pipeline monitoring. “We must evolve our approach to pipeline surveillance in the region. We therefore call for cooperation, not competition, between pipeline safety firms.
“We would also like to see the money allocated for pipeline monitoring be used to build communities through long-term projects and programs such as scholarships to produce graduates, experts, skilled workers, etc.”
Furthermore, Udoh said, surveillance should not be a burden but a benefit to communities. The NDPA moved a resolution; What he called a participatory system for empowerment of the population of the host communities, so as to avoid creating dependency syndrome in the communities which is usually caused by handing over of formal tokens rather than concrete programs like scholarships, skills, career support etc.
The group also introduced what the President-General called a 'best monitoring approach'. He said: “The best surveillance is community-based vigilance.”
He commended Pipeline Infrastructure Limited (PINAL), which oversees Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo and Abia states, known as the Eastern Corridor, saying they have a good template with 646 scholarship offers so far in 215 communities in particular.
“PINAL approved 646 scholarships for youths in 215 host-communities along the Trans-Niger Pipeline corridor in Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo and Abia states.
For each of those 215 communities, Pinal is committed to three scholarship slots per community,” Udoh said.
Udoh said: “We challenge the Tantita Group to adopt this template in which the public reporting approach is often undertaken at stakeholder forums.
“What is given to communities should have sustainability mechanisms so that those who are touched are not dependent on every other circle, but the process should bring in new needy individuals who will cross over to prosperity or sustainability after being touched. We say 'no' to repeating or recycling the list of beneficiaries.”
He said the region needs to build layers of empowerment for prosperity in the Niger Delta. “You should turn the monitoring project into an investment, not a cost.”
Also read: From militancy to consultancy: How former Niger Delta militants became government contractors
Responding to questions, Udoh said it was correct to say that they were demanding too much from pipeline safety firms or that they were misrepresenting the role of the companies by asking them to do what oil companies were supposed to do through PIA's HCDT.
He said: “Security companies are not businessmen looking to extract oil and make profits. Their funds and mandate are to focus on communities to end pipeline attacks and vandalism.”
Pinal organizes monthly stakeholder meetings to obtain input from host communities in its operational areas and review their engagement approach. It has received wide appreciation across communities and states.
Now, the group is calling on others, particularly Tantita, to emulate the PINL template. Speaking at a media conference in Port Harcourt, the NDPA said Pinal's participation had created community ownership of the projects.
The summit system by Pinel and the widespread call by the groups for Tantita to follow suit appears to be touching hearts as Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) held a “Community Critical Stakeholders Appreciation Ceremony” on Friday, October 17, 2025 at the KFT Event Center in Warri. The event brought together dignitaries and community leaders to acknowledge their collaboration in fighting pipeline vandalism and oil theft in the Niger Delta.
The NDPA commended Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), the monitoring firm responsible for the security of oil and gas facilities in the Eastern Corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), for always involving host communities in its operations.
Pinal holds monthly stakeholder meetings to gain input from host communities in its operational areas of Rivers, Abia, Imo and Bayelsa states, and appears to be winning over violent activists.
Udoh said: “After evaluation of the monitoring contract, the NDPA came to the conclusion that Pinal should be commended for its efforts in regular community engagement, while Tantita needs to start doing the same in Warri where it covers”.
The group stressed that monitoring contracts should encourage healthy competition among contractors and that companies should not attempt to undercut each other.
“The NDPA publicly recognizes Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited for practices that align with this model of community engagement and empowerment. Public reporting shows and we have seen in our field that this same approach is associated with improved safety outcomes. Pinel moved forward with conviction.
The group said Pinal has formed a strategic partnership with the Office of the National Security Adviser to establish investigative and prosecution facilities, strengthening both community-safety and infrastructure-protection.
On community engagement forums, the NDPA said PINL convenes host-community stakeholders monthly to review operations, solicit local input, and align monitoring efforts with local welfare.
While commending the company, the group urged them to scale up, make their monitoring and community investments visible, accountable and replicable, saying, “Your strategy is a model of how sustained empowerment can happen in the Niger Delta”.
On the other hand, the NDPA challenged Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited to integrate its operations with community development.
“The NDPA addresses Tantita with respect and clarity. This sector needs your operational capacity coupled with a clear, public commitment to community empowerment.”
In particular, the NDPA urged Tantita; “Organize frequent, monthly community engagement sessions in Warri and surrounding host communities, with published minutes and clear action items.
“Publicly publish within 30 days a concise, independently verifiable plan that reflects the core components of the model described here: local employment goals, scholarship commitments, and community facility projects.
“Enter active collaboration with peer monitoring operators and recognized community groups to exchange best practices rather than adopting a purely competitive posture”.
The group noted that with the scale of work being handled by Tantita, if it chooses to align its operational footprint with structured community investment, its operations could drive meaningful change in the area; “We encourage Tantita to be transparent about its community commitments and seek collaborative arrangements where other companies have demonstrated effective interventions”.
