Amid the alarm raised by an ex-militant group that oil thieves are regrouping in the Niger Delta to restart bunkering, some leaders of the oil-rich region, activists and stakeholders have told President Bola Tinubu that the actual battle to stop crude bunkering starts from his table in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Maintaining that Tinubu must first decide what he wants to do to oil thieves, they underlined the need to break up the security arrangement that gave oil bunkerers copious space to operate for over a decade.

They also urged Mr President to strengthen ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, and other private surveillance security contractors, believed to be doing a great job, to sustain the battle against oil thieves.

Strong political will required—Cole, business mogul

A co-founder of Sahara Group, a conglomerate with operations spanning the entire energy chain in Nigeria and others parts of Africa, Tonye Cole, told Sunday Vanguard, “There are those who do the massive ones and so they export Nigeria’s stolen crude. A vessel coming into Nigerian waters cannot hide. Then we have satellite today, which means you can actually observe all the Nigerian territorial waters.

“And I expect every ship to put on its GPS tracker so you know where they are globally. Once any ship puts off its transponder, you know it is here to do illegal business”. The All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship aspirant in Rivers State since 2019, added: “Therefore, there is that end of the business. Crude has a signature, which means any crude you find, by its signature, you can trace it all the way back to its source.

“And there are international laws you can activate to address these things, but it takes concerted efforts, and it starts at the desk of the President, who must decide that ‘I want to bring an end to this thing’. Nigeria is not the first place affected by illegal oil bunkering, but countries have decisively stopped it.

“There is what we call pigging, meaning you can measure the pressure on your pipelines and know when and where they tampered pipelines. It is not a new technology. It has been there for the past 50 years. If we want to know where they interrupted pipeline, we would know. Therefore, what is required to tackle the issue is a very strong political will.

“The problem in the Niger Delta is that people have weaponized poverty in such a way that economic activities around crude oil bunkering have become one of the major sources of income in the area.

“We address that (mass poverty). So, you must address those sitting at the top of the pyramid of oil theft and those at the bottom who should have alternative livelihoods”.

Take apart current arrangement —Essien

A former Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien, also spoke.

He said: “What the current President should do if he is determined to stop oil theft is to dismantle the arrangement currently in place in order to protect oil production and oil export.

“He should get officers who will be loyal to Nigeria to take charge and send personnel that will not collude with the cabal. Officers, who posted people to protect oil facilities, should be able to find out and tell the President so that he should act with the facts available to him.

We must account for every product that leaves Nigeria – HRM Whiskey

The Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom in Delta State, HRM King Obukohwo Monday Whiskey, Udurhie 1, on his part, said: “One of the first things government should do if they want to do anything at all is to ensure that every product that leaves Nigeria is accounted for.

“We have only one road to leave this country if you come to this big product.

“The Federal Government under Tinubu should expand the current pipeline surveillance to cover all creeks and rivers of the Niger Delta.

“By so doing, they will remove some of the little miscreants that the cartels used to do these illegal refineries and illegal businesses. “

“It is just like giving a property to a thief to keep, they will safeguard the property well. Tompolo has done his best; the Dokubo-Asaris are doing their best.

“These people do not have government instrumentality to challenge the high-caliber military, government officials, and oil executives involved in oil bunkering.

“Is government pretending not to know that its own people are hugely involved in crude oil theft? If that is what they are saying, then let them come to the Niger Delta and see the situation.

Ignore plots against Kyari, Tompolo –21st CYNDAC

A coalition of campaigners under the auspices of the 21st Century Youths for Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience, 21st CYNDAC, which raised the alarm that oil thieves are regrouping to restart bunkering in the Niger Delta, at the weekend, said the President should ensure the country goes fully technological in the surveillance of oil production and facilities.

Coordinator of the group, Izon Ebi, said the game-plan of the cabal was to distract Tinubu from the fight, and urged him to disregard those using some youths to urge him to sack the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Mallam Mele Kyari.

He alleged the oil cabal was equally seeking termination of the oil pipeline contract to the Tantita Security Surveillance Nigeria Limited, TSSNL, operated by Tompolo, after Kyari and Tompolo declined their subterfuge plan to trade-off the current security structure in the oil-rich region.

The group, in a statement, said: “We want to use this medium to bring to the knowledge of Mr. President and Nigerians that these iniquitous people instigating the sack of Mallam Mele Kyari have been observed regrouping themselves to restart oil theft and other illegal activities in the Niger- Delta.

“They are digging very deep to compromise the subsidy removal, and push the effects of fuel subsidy removal to bite so hard on the poor masses. These people are exploring every devilish means possible to compromise the security architecture currently on ground in the Niger Delta.

“Kyari is a trailblazer and a perfect gentleman, following his wonderful performance within the short time in-charge of the NNPCL.’’

Way out – Nsuke, MOSOP President

The President, Movement for Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, also weighed-in on the subject, stating, “The solution will be for government to implement a deliberate policy to get idle and vulnerable youths engaged in some employment. As long as young people cannot find jobs, fighting these crimes will remain complicated.

“Existing legislation to deal with these crimes suffices. As long as the youths are jobless, they will always be vulnerable and legislation may not deal with the situation at some point.

“Government needs to give people hope by being responsible, upholding justice and not tolerating the corruption we witness today because everyone is watching and when they get tired tolerating the corruption in government, they would have been pushed to the wall, and the only option will be to fight back. That will be total anarchy”.

Introduce tough sanctions to deter culprits — Umoh, lawyer

Cross-River-based legal practitioner, Orchadson Umoh, also spoke. His words, “Many officers in charge of the operations should be changed. Severe punishment should be the order of the day to rein in the temptation. However, I recognize the fact that we are short of such political will in attending to the different areas of our economic ills.”

“There is the National Assembly. They have a role to play in legislation, oversight and support for the President. “Those of them who may be associated with companies that have benefited from these travesty or who have even directly benefited or in the position to benefit from it would be minimal. Therefore, I hope they will give more attention to this when they reconvene.”

Support Tompolo, others — Sintei, A-Ibom ex-militant leader

Similarly, the leader of ex-agitators in Akwa Ibom State, and self-styled ‘General’ Nikko Sintei, said, “Since the Federal Government gave Tompolo the surveillance job, oil theft, and pipeline vandalism has reduced. Therefore, the current administration needs to encourage him and others by ensuring that oil pipelines are well protected from oil thieves and vandals.”

Uprising is the only solution – Nakpodia, Urhobo leader

Immediate Past President of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, Ikeja Branch, Lagos, Chief Isaac Nakpodia, in his reaction, said, “How do you expect Tinubu to do anything when Buhari, a military general, did nothing? The corrupt system protects their own.

“It is only a popular people’s uprising that can save the situation like it happened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sometime ago, and one other third world country that I cannot remember the name now. I think Singapore or something.” (Sunday Vanguard)

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