Chukwu David 
The Isoko Nation, under the aegis of the Isoko Renaissance Movement (IRM), on Thursday staged a peaceful protest at the National Assembly over what it described as its continued exclusion from governance and economic participation in the Niger Delta.
Addressing journalists at the National Assembly gate, the Convener of IRM, Comrade Jezreel Enahoro, said the protest was aimed at drawing the attention of President Bola Tinubu, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and federal lawmakers to the gross underdevelopment in Isoko land despite its significant contributions to the Nigerian economy.
Enahoro urged the Federal Government to review the current pipeline surveillance contracts in the Niger Delta and restructure them to allow all ethnic nationalities in the region to monitor and secure pipelines within their domains.
He stressed the importance of engaging indigenous Isoko stakeholders to secure pipelines in their communities, warning that the continuous sidelining of Isoko people was unacceptable.
Enahoro also called on the government to declare a state of emergency on infrastructure and human capital development in Isoko land. He further urged authorities to fast-track the development of the Isoko Gas Turbine project to ensure stable power supply in the region.
He said:
“The IRM humbly requests that the Federal Government award a fresh contract to a company of our choosing—or one properly vetted by Isoko stakeholders—for the surveillance of crude oil pipelines. Not those who are appendages of Tantita Security.
“The betrayal of Isoko must end. The call for justice must rise beyond whispers.”
The group also demanded that Isoko indigenes be appointed into federal boards and parastatals.
“If our resources are good enough to sustain the nation, then our people are good enough to be recognised, represented, and rewarded. Isoko demands fairness, inclusion, and its rightful place in the governance and development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria.”
Enahoro described Isoko as a peaceful ethnic group that has long been taken for granted, despite being home to the earliest economic liberation movements in the Niger Delta.
“Isoko was the second place where crude oil was discovered in Nigeria. It is a well-documented fact that 28 per cent of the country’s oil resources run through pipelines laid across Isoko land. Yet, we are not treated as critical stakeholders.”
He lamented the absence of federal presence in Isoko land, apart from police stations and INEC offices, and described the region’s exclusion as both political and economic.
“From inception, Urhobo, Anioma, Itsekiri, and Ijaw have enjoyed several federal appointments. Yet Isoko, which contributes over 40 per cent of Delta State’s oil production, remains sidelined—no Managing Director, no Executive Director, no Minister. Just silence.”
He also decried the devastating environmental impacts of oil exploration on Isoko communities:
“Our once-fertile farmlands lie barren, poisoned by oil spills. Our lakes have become toxic, killing aquatic life and destroying the livelihoods of our fishermen.
“Gas flaring and pollution have led to increased respiratory and skin diseases. Life expectancy is dropping, and food insecurity is rising as farming and fishing become impossible.”
On the controversial pipeline surveillance contract, Enahoro said:
“The contract awarded to Tantita Security has turned into a tool for economic and political dominance. It has created instability and encouraged overreach that is unsettling for our region.”
The protest concluded with a renewed call for President Tinubu and the National Security Adviser to urgently intervene and restore fairness to the system.
