Former Niger Delta militant leader, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo has called on the federal government to pay contractors of the oil pipeline surveillance contract.
Dokubo was one of the contractors who were given the surveillance contract which cut across five states namely Lagos, Ogun, Bayelsa, Ondo, Delta and Rivers state. The contract was executed from March 15, 2015 to June 15.
Dokubo in an interview with Sunday Punch urged President Muhammadu Buhari to pay up because the contracts were not awarded to individual entities.
He said “Diezani (Allison-Madueke) did not sign payment for the contract before she left. All across the six states (Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa) where the contract was awarded none of us were paid; none of the companies were paid. The Federal Government should do what is needful by paying the money they owe. The same mandate that was given to Buhari to become President was the same mandate that was given to us in a legal and binding contract.
“If Buhari is law-abiding and if his government respects the rule of law, the contractual obligations will be followed. The contract was awarded to corporate entities by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. We did not go in as individuals and the corporate entities are regarded as individuals under the law. No contract was awarded to any specific individual.
“The same way they give contract to people to lift oil; the same way they give Julius Berger contracts to build roads; the same way they give people contracts to build houses; that is the same way pipeline surveillance contracts were given to us. But they (FG) are not paying for the work done. It is against the law of the land. Paying us our contract money is the right thing he (Buhari) ought to do and for any reasonable human being.”