The National Coordinator of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Gani Adams has said that his group would not participate in the protest against the withdrawal of the contract for the protection of NNPC pipelines.

Adams, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos, said that protest would not solve the problem of the contract withdrawal.

`Adams said: "We had a meeting over the withdrawal of contract to protect the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) 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,.’

NAN recalls that the Federal Government under 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 it personnel from the NNPC pipelines nationwide and other groups in the country due to no 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. (NAN)

•Photo shows Gani Adams.