News

Umahi Hands Over Supervisory Role Of Ministry’s Agencies To Goronyo

Published

1 year ago

November 21, 2024

..Calls for patriotism in discharge of duties

Joel Ajayi

The Hon. Minister of Works, His Excellency, Sen. (Engr.) Nweze David Umahi, CON. FNSE, FNATE has officially introduced and handed over to the Honourable Minister of State, Muhammad Bello Goronyo, Esq. the supervisory authority of the two (2) Agencies under the Ministry namely; the Federal Road Management Agency (FERMA) and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGoF).

This took place during a meeting with the Management of the two Agencies and the Honourable Ministers on 20th November, 2024 in Abuja. Also in attendance were the Members of the Board of FERMA.

Engr. Umahi appreciated Mr. President for sending Goronyo, Esq to help him in handling the affairs of the agencies under the Ministry, especially that of FERMA, that has a lot of direct impact on relieving the sufferings of the masses. He urged the Management and Board to be patriotic in carrying out their national assignments, saying “put the nation and fear of God first in all you do; if you don’t put God and the people first in all you do, the money you make will go to nought.”

He, however, urged them to advocate for increased budget to enable them achieve their expected tasks, while promising his continual support to the Hon. Minister of State to ensure he succeeds in his national assignment.

Speaking at the event, the Honourable Minister of State reiterated his appreciation to Mr President for reassigning him to a capable hand like Engr. Umahi, whom he described as a man with vast wealth of experience, intelligence, patriotism, passion for the job; a result oriented personality: attributes worthy of emulation. He urged the Staff, Management and Board of the Agencies to extend the same support given to the Honourable Minister to him, so that, together, success will be achieved. He assured the audience of his open door policy to everyone with innovative ideas, so as to serve the purposes for which they were established.

The Director-General of FERMA, Engr. (Dr.) Chukwuemeka Agbasi and the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Abduganiyu Adebomehin, FNIS, as well as the South-East Representative on the Board of FERMA, Dr. Kenneth Ugbala, separately promised, on behalf of the Agencies, to work in collaboration with the Honourable Ministers in order to serve the entire nation efficiently and committedly, as well as strive to achieve the priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

Also in attendance were the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works, Yakubu Adam Kofarmata, Ph.D and Directors of the Ministry.

After the formal introduction and handing over ceremony, the Minister of State held a maiden Management meeting with the Agencies, where he drummed up the idea of creating innovative financing models to free up their dependence on budgetary resources from the Federal Government.

He also asked the Chief Executive Officers of the two entities to furnish him with their work plans, as well as itineraries for familiarisation visits.

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PWA demands forensic audit of pipeline surveillance contract , says current contract monopolistic, violation of PIA

Published

2 days ago

April 15, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

A leading advocacy group in Nigeria under the aegis of People’s Wellbeing Association (PWA) has said that the current pipeline surveillance contract is a gross violation of the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA), calling for a forensic audit of the contract from inception.

It should be recalled that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) awarded the pipeline surveillance contract to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, led by Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), in August/September 2022.

The contract, valued at approximately ₦48 billion annually, aimed to curb oil theft in the Niger Delta.

The PWA’s Head of Communication Unit, Comrade Abba Abubakar said this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

Abubakar who called for equitable distribution of the contract to host communities, said the present structure of the pipeline surveillance contract remained skewed, benefitting a few other than the major stakeholders.

“The current pipeline surveillance contract is a violation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) with regards to the effective participation of host communities in protecting oil facilities located in their domain.

“The present arrangement where the pipeline security was entrusted in the hands of a few companies violates section 257 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which states that host communities must be directly involved in protecting oil facilities located in their ancestral lands,” he said.

Abubakar who reiterated calls for forensic audit of the contract, said Pipeline protection should involve indigenous stakeholders from the ethnic nations and communities where these facilities are located.

According to him, the present structure reflects an unhealthy concentration of opportunity and influence, leaving many oil-producing ethnic nations with little or no meaningful participation.

He said that the monopolistic arrangement of the pipeline security framework has instead created rancour, resentment thereby undermining unity in the Niger Delta region.

Abubakar vehemently condemned the contract of exclusion, saying that any system that excludes many of the host communities from pipeline protection undermines fairness and regional stability.

The PWA Communication Unit Head regretted that the federal government made a huge financial commitment in the area of pipeline surveillance over the years, yet the nation’s crude output is minimal compared to what it used to be.

Abubakar however called for a forensic audit of the ₦4 billion monthly pipeline surveillance contract, due to brazen instances of economic exclusion and calls for better regional distribution.

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