The United Niger Delta Congress (UNDC) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to renew and extend the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL).
​The advocacy group made the call on Saturday, October 17, 2026, in Abuja during a media briefing on the state of infrastructure protection and economic stability across host communities in the Niger Delta region.
​Speaking on behalf of the group, the National President of the UNDC, Mallam Julius Obi, stated that the appeal was necessitated by the need to consolidate on crude oil production gains and maintain socio-economic peace across the Eastern Corridor.
​The UNDC’s call aligns with the findings and recommendations of the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities, which recently concluded a review of operations in the region. During a special sitting held in Abuja, the House panel dismissed a petition dated September 5, 2026, filed by the Niger Delta Oil-Producing Communities Reform Movement (ND-OCRIM) against PINL and its leadership.
​The parliamentary subcommittee, which held its concluding sitting on October 7, 2026, noted that the petitioners failed to appear or submit supporting documentary evidence despite being formally invited on three separate occasions, September 14, September 22, and October 5, 2026.
Conversely, PINL presented a comprehensive operational report titled “The Impact of PINL Operations on Oil Production and Stability of the Niger Delta,” backed by geotagged photographic verification.
​Following its findings, the House panel cleared the firm of impropriety, passed a vote of confidence in President Tinubu, the NNPCL, and PINL, and formally recommended that the Federal Government extend PINL’s surveillance contract.
​Highlighting the operational track record of the company, Mallam Julius Obi noted that before PINL was engaged in August 2022, approximately 97 out of every 100 barrels of crude oil pumped through the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) were lost to theft, driving national production below 900,000 barrels per day. Following PINL’s intervention, delivery efficiency to the Bonny Terminal surged from 3 percent in May 2022 to 98 percent by September 2026.
​According to data cited by the UNDC and supported by parliamentary findings, PINL has remediated 2,049 illegal pipeline connections and dismantled 1,010 illegal refinery clusters. Operations at Oil Mining Lease 11 (OML 11), which had been shut down for 18 months prior to PINL’s engagement, were successfully restored within 90 days.
The company employs over 35,600 surveillance guards across 215 host communities, backed by 28 forward operational bases, 130 boats, 175 vehicles, 25 drones, and 454 government security personnel.
PINL’s corporate social responsibility initiatives include thousands of educational scholarships, vocational empowerment for women and youth, and humanitarian relief delivered to flood-impacted host communities.
​”Given these verifiable achievements and the clear recommendation of the lawmakers, we strongly urge the Federal Government, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and NNPCL to immediately renew PINL’s contract,” Obi stated. “Terminating or delaying this arrangement would undermine security gains and jeopardise the livelihoods of tens of thousands of youth in our communities.”
