PRESIDENCY DENIES AWARDING PIPELINE PROTECTION CONTRACTS TO EX-MILITANTS

The Presidency has denied the allegation that many former Niger Delta militants were awarded pipeline protection contract.
The Presidency claimed that the allegation was raised by some desperate politicians to incite members of the public against the amnesty programme.
The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, said that it was true that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) awarded contracts to some expatriate companies which might have employed indigenes in the prosecution of the contracts, but denied that the former militants were direct beneficiaries.
For instance, the Special Adviser said the contract coverage of Delta State was awarded to Oil Facilities Surveillance Limited and not to former militant Tompolo.
In Bayelsa State, he said the contract was awarded to Bajero Limited by NNPC and not Boyloaf as alleged.
He added that Adolf Nigeria Limited and not Ateke Tom or Asari Dokubo got the contract in Rivers State.
Kuku said: “As I speak to you today, I am not aware that any ex-agitator enrolled in the Amnesty Programme is currently a beneficiary of pipeline protection contract as being supervised by the NNPC.
“I must also clarify that even the brief period this deal with the NNPC and a number of the ex-agitators lasted, the Amnesty Office was not in any way involved and we cannot speak about the details of what led to the suspension of these collaborators.”
Source: National Mirror