**Niger Delta Group Seeks Fair Share in Pipeline Surveillance Contracts** In a bid to promote equity and fairness, the United Niger Delta Congress (UNDC), a Niger Delta advocacy group, has called on the federal government to redistribute pipeline surveillance contracts among oil-producing communities in the region. According to the group, the current system is skewed in favor of a few companies, leaving out the major stakeholders. The group's National President, Julius Mallam-Obi, made this demand at a press briefing in Abuja. He cited the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which requires host communities to be directly involved in protecting oil facilities located in their ancestral lands. However, the current arrangement, where companies like Tantita Security Services, Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited, and Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) handle pipeline surveillance contracts, is a clear violation of this law. Mallam-Obi emphasized that the Niger Delta, which is the backbone of Nigeria's economy, cannot continue to be excluded from the management and protection of its resources. He argued that pipeline protection should involve indigenous stakeholders from the ethnic nations and communities where these facilities are located. The UNDC noted that the Niger Delta is home to several oil-producing ethnic nationalities, including the Ijaw, Isoko, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ndokwa, Ogoni, Ibibio, and Efik. Any system that excludes many of them from pipeline protection undermines unity and fuels resentment in the region. This demand by the UNDC is timely, given the challenges facing the Niger Delta region. The region has been plagued by insecurity, environmental degradation, and economic marginalization. By decentralizing pipeline surveillance contracts, the federal government can promote equity, fairness, and community involvement in the management of oil resources. This move can also help to address the root causes of insecurity in the region, which often stem from feelings of exclusion and marginalization. By giving oil-producing communities a stake in pipeline protection, the federal government can promote unity and stability in the Niger Delta. Ultimately, this demand by the UNDC is a call for a more inclusive and equitable management of Nigeria's oil resources.