Dr. Ebimene Watchman, a former agitator who once operated within the highest echelons of the Niger Delta struggle in Bayelsa State and now a practicing medical doctor, has called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to review the allocation of pipeline surveillance contracts, arguing that influential stakeholders who helped secure peace in the region have been unfairly excluded.
In a public call, Dr. Watchman said he watched “with dismay” as key leaders of the Niger Delta Struggle —those who stood at the forefront of the struggle and helped broker stability—were sidelined from the current pipeline surveillance arrangements.
He urged the federal government to reconsider the contract awards on grounds of national security and regional stability.
Highlighting the role of prominent figures during the conflict years, Dr. Watchman pointed to General Boyloaf an example of a former combat leader who, he says, played a decisive role in bringing peace to the region to allow for development.
“Gen Boyloaf was the most feared, most intelligent and most powerful during the Niger Delta struggle that brought about glory to the ijaw nation.” Dr. Watchman said, stressing that such figures helped secure the peace that facilitated the federal government’s Amnesty Programme.
Dr. Watchman argued that the exclusion of such leaders from pipeline surveillance contracts undermines both security and reconciliation efforts.
He claimed that the current distribution of contracts has favored certain political networks and has enabled few persons from other places use contract proceeds to develop their own communities, while leaving other communities and leaders in Bayelsa, Ondo and the broader Niger Delta without benefit.
“This imbalance is harmful to national security,” he said, adding that the Department of State Services (DSS) could attest to the stabilizing contributions of former agitators like Gen Boyloaf.
Dr. Watchman said that sidelining these stakeholders is the biggest error from both the Federal Government, National Security office, Department of State Security Services (DSS) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Dr. Watchman’s call also carried a political undertone: he called on President Tinubu to “do the needful” and rebalance contract awards to include those who supported the administration’s rise and those who previously labored to secure peace in the Niger Delta.
He said the exclusion of key leaders in favor of others—some of whom, he claimed, did not back the president’s political ascent—was both unjust and counterproductive.
The doctor urged an urgent review of the pipeline surveillance scheme to ensure broader inclusion of Niger Delta stakeholders and to reassure communities that national security measures will also pursue equitable local development.
