. . . Asks Tinubu to ignore disgruntled, unpatriotic elements

The Ijaw Youths Network has slammed critics of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tompolo, over the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to his firm, Tantita Security Services Limited, by the Federal Government in 2022.

Since August 2022, TSL has been in the forefront of the intensified campaign against oil theft which has brought the nation’s economy on its knees.

The pan-Ijaw group described the sponsored attacks being sponsored by an ex militant leader from Ondo State as shocking in view of the fact that the firm has been delivering on its mandate of stemming crude oil theft in the Niger Delta.

The IYN Coordinator, Frank Ebikabo and Federal Ebiaridor, Secretary, in a statement on Thursday, asked President Bola Tinubu to ignore those calling for a review of the tripartite contract, describing them as “disgruntled elements in the corridors of power who are driven by mischief and a wild attempt to put an unfair scar on the face of history.”

IYN maintained that there is incontrovertible evidence that Tantita Security Services Limited offered the desperately needed solutions to the huge “existential economic crisis of mind-boggling proportion executed by a lethal criminal gang that targeted the soul of the nation’s economy.”

It added that in the past one year, the achievements of TSL in curbing oil theft in Nigeria cannot be contradicted, noting that it is the height of absurdity for “the convoluted minds to posit that the best way to reward a child who has scored excellent marks is to make him to repeat his class.”

The group equally cited the pass marks given to TSL by the NNPC GMD, Kele Kyari, who told Nigerians that the pipeline contract with the oil surveillance company had yielded massive result which is not comparable in monetary terms with the contract sum.

Kyari’s submission, it said, was based on the sterling performance by TSL in the campaign against oil theft in the country.

The group noted that the firm discovered 295 illegal connections to NNPC pipelines many of which have been in sabotage operations for years, and destroyed thousands of illegal refineries in the region in addition to the arrest of massive vessels involved in siphoning crude oil in the Niger Delta.

The group stated: “We have watched with shock the sponsored campaign of calumny by a group of frustrated individuals against the person of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (TOMPOLO) over the pipeline security contracted awarded to Tantita Security Services Limited.

“As an organization whose membership spreads across the clans of the Ijaw nation, we had taken the decision to ignore the indirect attacks on the Presidency and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited over the engagement of Tantita to stem the alarming theft of the nation’s crude resources in 2022.

“However, our investigation has shown that those calling on the President to initiate a review of the tripartite security contract are disgruntled elements in the corridors of power who are driven by mischief and a wild attempt to put an unfair scar on the face of history.

“Perhaps, only those who are behind this pitiable campaign of calumny and the incendiary narrative against Tantita Security Services Limited will opt to embrace a selective amnesia to forget the dire state of the nation’s oil economy and the desperate move by the Federal Government to salvage a bad situation.”

The Ijaw group recalled that the oil pipeline protection contract was earlier awarded to late Capt Hosa Okunbor, noting that no son of the Niger Delta wrote to the President to cancel the deal because it was awarded to ‘one man.’

It further noted: “Clearly, the late Capt Hosa executed the contract to the best of his ability until the reality of oil theft and the virulent sabotage of the nation’s economy made the Federal Government and the NNPC to seek the intervention of local security outfits to fight what had become a menace.

“We are baffled that these men who are trivializing the security of the nation’s pipeline forgot to raise hell that the pipeline security contract was given to a single company. It is important to reiterate as stated by proponents of the democratization of pipeline security contract that the contract erstwhile executed by Capt Hosa was split into three and a part of it was awarded to TSL.

“Curiously, the ex-militant commander who paid a hack writer in government to embark on a smear campaign against Tompolo opted to be silent about the other firms executing the same contract of securing the nation’s pipelines.”

Here is the full statement:

PIPELINE SECURITY CONTRACT: THIS SPONSORED CAMPAIGN OF CALUMNY AGAINST HIGH CHIEF TOMPOLO MUST STOP NOW

We have watched with shock the sponsored campaign of calumny by a group of frustrated individuals against the person of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (TOMPOLO) over the pipeline security contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Limited.

As an organization whose membership spreads across the clans of the Ijaw nation, we had taken the decision to ignore the indirect attacks on the Presidency and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited over the engagement of Tantita to stem the alarming theft of the nation’s crude resources in 2022.

However, our investigation has shown that those calling on the President to initiate a review of the tripartite security contract are disgruntled elements in the corridors of power who are driven by mischief and a wild attempt to put an unfair scar on the face of history.

Perhaps only those who are behind this pitiable campaign of calumny and the incendiary narrative against Tantita Security Services Limited will opt to embrace a selective amnesia to forget the dire state of the nation’s oil economy and the desperate move by the Federal Government to salvage a bad situation.

The reality of oil theft and the virulent sabotage of the nation’s economy made the Federal Government and the NNPC to seek the intervention of local security outfits to fight what had become a menace.

May we refresh the dim memory of this band of mischievous characters that Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari, had convinced the Minister of Petroleum Resources, President Muhammadu Buhari, to engage the service an oil pipeline surveillance firm, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, led by Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tompolo, to guard Nigeria’s oil pipeline network in August 2022.

The GCEO of the NNPCL told a nation on edge that there was every need to confront the abominable daily theft of 200000 barrels of crude oil by a deadly cabal of oil thieves with the engagement of private security outfits with capacity.

Kyari’s worries were confirmed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission whose figures revealed that Nigeria had lost nothing less than 120 million barrels of crude oil from January and September 2022 translating to $12.6 billion in less than a year.

The NUPRC stated further that Nigeria’s submission to the OPEC Secretariat put September crude output at just 938,000 b/d, just over half its quota for the month, while total liquids production was only 1.14mn b/d

So, it is incontrovertible that Tantita Security Services Limited offered the desperately needed solutions to the huge existential economic crisis of mind boggling proportion executed by a lethal criminal gang that targeted the soul of the nation’s economy.

In the past one year, the achievements of TSL in curbing oil theft in Nigeria cannot be contradicted. It is the height of absurdity for the convoluted minds to posit that the best way to reward a child who has scored excellent marks is to make him to repeat his class.

The NNPC GMD, Kyari told Nigerians that the pipeline contract with the oil surveillance company had yielded massive result which is not comparable in monetary terms with the contract sum.

His submission was based on the sterling performance by TSL in the campaign against oil theft in the county. The firm discovered 295 illegal connections to NNPC pipelines many of which have been in sabotage operations for years, destroyed thousands of illegal refineries in the region in addition to the arrest of massive vessels involved in siphoning crude oil in the Niger Delta.

According to Kyari, “The scale (oil theft) is enormous. We have seen pipelines taken from our main trunk lines to abandoned platforms. We have thousands of illegal refineries that we have taken down in the past few months.

“We have seen over 295 illegal connections to our pipelines. Many of them have been there for years. We were left with no choice but to involve private security contractors and it worked. They are complementing our security agencies and they have done great work.

“I have received several death threats to myself. This is the cost of change. When people walk away from things they are used to, to something new. Something that will take away value and benefit from them, they will react. That reaction is beneficial to us, for all of us that will work together to make sure that this works.”

We are therefore appalled by the vile, ridiculous and irresponsible claims about the rogue vessels which were caught stealing crude oil in the region. We believe that Tantita Security Services Limited has done very well in curbing oil theft in the past one year as shown by the figures on improved oil production by the NNPCL and sister agencies in the industry.

We therefore commend President Bola Tinubu for his good judgment, wisdom and exemplary leadership qualities for sustaining this working arrangement. To listen to such irritants will amount to putting the laudable efforts of government in the reverse gear. We urge him to ignore the band of irresponsible charlatans who are crying wolf where there is none. We also urge Nigerians and indeed the media to ignore the tissues of lies being conducted against the Chief Tompolo, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, and other prominent sons and daughters of the Niger Delta. We hold the view that quality attention should not be wasted on self-serving, attention seeking, individuals wildly attempting to dictate to the President how he should run his government and who should assist him in the process.

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