OPC will not protest pipeline contract withdrawal — Gani Adams

The factional leader of O’odua People’s Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams, has said that his faction of the congress will not participate in the protest against the withdrawal of the contract for the protection of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines.

Adams said yesterday in Lagos that protest would not solve the problem of the contract withdrawal.

“We had a meeting over the withdrawal of contract to protect the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation pipelines.

“Dr Fredrick Fasheun, myself, and some other persons were at the meeting. I want to state categorically that protest against withdrawal of the contract was not part of our discussion.

“It is a contract between us and the NNPC. The issue should not be misunderstood for something else.

“I don’t want to bring ethnicity into this matter. I don’t want people to see us in bad light.

“We read the story on this protest in the newspapers like any other person. We are not part of the protest,” Adams said.

The Federal Government under former President Goodluck Jonathan had in March, awarded a multi-billion naira contract to the OPC to secure NNPC pipelines in the South-West zone of the country.

OPC had on June 15 threatened to withdraw its personnel from the NNPC pipelines nationwide and other groups in the country due to non payment by NNPC.

However, the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to ex-militant leaders from the Niger Delta region and the South-West pressure group, OPC, was finally revoked by the Federal Government on June 16.