Lagos – The Pipelines Security and Surveillance Service Providers on Monday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to redeem its contractual obligation with it.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Yinka Oguntimehin, on behalf of the security and surveillance providers and made available to newsmen in Lagos.
“We plead with the management of the NNPC, the Federal Government and indeed President Muhamadu Buhari to ensure that all the contractors get paid for the services they rendered.
“We are determined to explore all peaceful and diplomatic avenues to get our dues from the NNPC.
“We have resolved that if the NNPC fails to redeem its contractual obligation and refuse to pay us by the end of August, we would be left with no choice, but to go to court.
“Within the period of the contract, all the contractors experienced one form of loss or the other, either financially, death, physical injuries.
“It should be noted that the contract indeed ran its course, which was a period of three months, starting from March 15, 2015 and ended on June 15, 2015,’’ Oguntimehin said.
The statement said that the surveillance service providers were seeking the President’s intervention based on his promise to serve Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic or religious inclination.
“We believe that President Muhamadu Buhari would use his good office to intervene in this matter in order to ensure that justice is done.
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“Going by his promise to serve Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic or religious inclination, we believe that President Buhari would use his good office to intervene in this matter in order to ensure that justice is done.
“It is also important to know that within the period of the contract, all the contractors experienced one form of loss or the other, either financially, death, physical injuries, or in most cases all the losses.
“It should be known that the contractors have valid and duly signed contract agreements with the management of the NNPC to protect the pipelines for a period of three months,’’ it said.
The statement said that the contractors had incurred huge financial debts in forms of loans from banks and other financial institutions in order to carry out their functions of securing the pipelines.
“It is on record that in the South-West and South-South, more than eight staff were killed by vandals in their desperate bids to gain access to the pipelines.
“More than 60 of our men received various degrees of injuries,’’ it said. (NAN)