Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has condemned Monday’s protest by  Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups (AAYG) over the pipelines protection contract awarded to  Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) by the Federal Government.

AAYG  had during the protest at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company(NNPC) Limited headquarters in Abuja, demanded the termination deal or the shut down of the Amnesty Programme office. in the Niger Delta.

The group wondered why the government would fund the contract from the public treasury at a time the North was not getting significant support to tackle the activities of terrorists.

But PANDEF, in a statement, warned AAYG  against  causing  a crisis in the Niger Delta   with “unnecessary,  misguided expressions and actions.”

It said in the statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ken Robinson warned that the Arewa youths’ actions and comments were capable of sparking trouble in the Niger Delta.

PANDEF said that Niger Delta people are not blind to the number of injustices meted out to them by the government and oil explorers.

The statement reads in part: “PANDEF cautions that the reported threat by the so-called Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups to paralyse activities at the NNPC headquarters if the said contract awarded to Government Ekpemupolo was not revoked is not only absurd and delusional but capable of sparking severe consequences in the Niger Delta.

“We are sending a serious warning to those misguided Arewa youths and their sponsors. Let it be known to them that the Niger Delta people will not tolerate such absurdity.

“Tompolo, and indeed any other capable sons and daughters of the Niger Delta, for that matter, have the right to be awarded any contract by, any agency or company, of the Federal Government, more so the NNPC Limited, whose core operations are carried out mainly in the Niger Delta.

“Nigeria is reportedly losing billions of naira daily through organised, outrageous crude theft by criminals and corrupt officials. It, thus, won’t be inapposite to infer that the so-called Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups were mobilised by organised oil thieves to impede the renewed efforts of NNPC limited, to mitigate the stealing of our crude oil, and also, safeguard the nation’s oil and gas assets.

“PANDEF notes that the Niger Delta has continued to suffer marginalisation and isolation in critical sectors of the country, especially in the oil and gas sector.

“While our people are denied adequate participation in, both the management and operations, of the oil and gas industry, including the Ownership of Oil Blocks and Marginal Fields, the sad reality is that people from other parts of the country, some of who do not even know what crude oil looks like but for what they see in pictures, own the bulk of oil marginal fields and blocks.”

“Given such an unpleasant background in the Niger Delta, the reported protest by the said Arewa youths over the surveillance contract awarded to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo is most insolent and annoying.

“PANDEF advises the Federal Government, and the management of the  NNPC limited, to ignore the shenanigans of the purported Arewa youth groups.”