Ilaje kings Ajube pipeline surveillance decentralisation Tinubu Niger Delta oil security
Ilaje Local Government Council of Obas convenes at Amapetu’s palace, passes formal address to President Tinubu and declares collective support for SHC Bibopere Ajube’s decentralisation campaign
By Ogele News Reporter • April 15, 2026 • Mahin, Ilaje LGA, Ondo State • (Meeting held April 14, 2026)
The Ilaje Local Government Council of Obas has thrown its full weight behind the campaign for decentralisation of pipeline and oil and gas facilities surveillance on the Ondo State axis, passing a formal address to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and declaring collective support for Senior High Chief Bibopere Ajube, a leading voice in the movement for a more inclusive and state-based surveillance framework across the Niger Delta.
The declaration followed a final deliberative meeting of the council held on Monday, April 14, at the palace of HRM Oba Lawrence A. A. Omowole III, the Amapetu of Mahin — the paramount ruler of Ilaje Local Government Area — where the monarchs received SHC Ajube and thereafter authorised the council’s Secretary, HM Ogbaro (Oduka of Obe-Ogbaro), to address the press on their collective position.
In attendance at the palace were several traditional rulers from across Ilaje LGA, including HRH Owoyele, HRH Mado, HRM Oba A. K. Ikuesan (Olubo of Obe-Nla), HM Oba Ademola Akinbule (Yasere of Oriretan), HM Oba Samuel Olumide Edema (Malokun of Atijere), HM Oba Olusola Ajaka (Gbogunro of Idi-Ogba Alagbon), and several other members of the council, underscoring the breadth and seriousness of the consensus reached.
“Concentrating surveillance authority across multiple states in the hands of a few actors creates avoidable governance and security risks. Ondo State must not be relegated to the margins in matters directly connected to resources within our territorial domain.”
Speaking after the meeting, the council’s Secretary highlighted the unique position of Ilaje LGA as a critical coastal oil-producing community whose cooperation with neighbouring Ijaw communities has made it an exemplary model of peace in a historically volatile region. The monarchs noted that the Ilaje–Ijaw partnership — once strained by resource competition and territorial concerns — has been consciously transformed into a proven model of community-driven security collaboration, contributing to the reduction of sea piracy, armed robbery, and organised criminal activity across Ondo, Edo, and Delta States, with positive effects extending to Lagos.
The council, however, raised serious concerns about the current centralised surveillance framework, describing it as structurally imbalanced and insufficiently inclusive with respect to Ondo State. The monarchs cited the marginalisation of local stakeholders, very limited youth engagement — with fewer than 100 youths currently involved — and persistent reports of unpaid salaries undermining operational morale. More alarming, they said, is the infiltration of unfamiliar actors into their waterways under the cover of surveillance operations, some credibly linked to illegal bunkering and maritime crime.
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Firmly aligned with the position of SHC Bibopere Ajube and other proponents of a decentralised framework, the council urged President Tinubu to order an immediate review of pipeline surveillance operations across the Niger Delta, ensure that Ondo State operations are coordinated by credible indigenous stakeholders, and adopt a state-based model that expands youth employment, strengthens community ownership, and consolidates the hard-won gains of Ilaje–Ijaw cooperation.
The council also framed its appeal in terms of national equity and economic strategy, arguing that Nigeria’s ability to increase crude oil production and revenue depends on effective protection of pipelines and coastal infrastructure — which is best achieved through inclusive, community-driven participation. “No single state within the Niger Delta should be positioned in a manner that places it above others in the control or coordination of opportunities that are collectively owned,” the address stated.
The monarchs’ declaration of support for SHC Ajube adds significant traditional authority to the growing coalition of Niger Delta stakeholders pushing back against the current centralised model. SHC Ajube, a prominent stakeholder from the Arogbo Ijaw community and a long-standing advocate for equitable community participation in oil and gas governance, has been at the forefront of calls for a state-by-state restructuring of the surveillance framework.
The Ilaje council’s position comes amid an intensifying national debate over the future of pipeline surveillance in the Niger Delta. Former militant leaders, youth coalitions, ex-agitators’ forums, and pan-Niger Delta groups have all in recent weeks called on President Tinubu to decentralise the contract currently dominated by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and distribute it across the nine oil-producing states on a state-by-state basis. The United Niger Delta Congress, in a statement issued on Tuesday, also cautioned the National Assembly against what it described as a grave overreach of legislative authority in passing a vote of confidence on an existing contractor.
As custodians of one of Nigeria’s most strategically important coastal zones, the Ilaje monarchs said they speak as fathers responsible for the peace, stability, and future of their communities. Their formal address to the President is expected to be transmitted to the State House, Abuja, through appropriate channels.
Ilaje kings Ajube pipeline surveillance decentralisation Tinubu Niger Delta oil security
