FG under fire after awarding ex-militant leader, Tompolo contract

The Muhammadu Buhari Led-Government has come under social media attack after awarding a pipeline surveillance contract to a former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

Africainformants understands that the contract signed between the government, the  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited and Tompolo is reportedly worth over N4billion monthly.

A verified source confirmed that following the contract, the former militant leader will have the mandate to monitor and oversee other surveillance contracts, contractors and their activities in the entire Niger Delta.

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The Commander of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) would also help the government end illegal bunkering, illegal refining and other forms of oil theft in the Niger Delta.

He said it was a similar role Tompolo played during the former administration of President Goodluck Jonathan when Diezani Alison-Madueke was the Minister of Petroleum.

The source said: “The government merely reviewed and restored his old contract.

Before the cancellation of his contract, the arrangements he put in place tackled illegal bunkering and increased production quota to over two million barrels per day.

But the new government cancelled the contract, declared him wanted and he was later exonerated of all wrongdoings.

“They have realised the need to bring him back because currently, the country is losing over 500,000 barrels per day to illegal bunkering.”

The source said the new deal was brokered by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, and some NNPC top officials including the Group Executive Director, Upstream, Adokiye Tombomelye.

He said NNPC as a new profit-making venture was determined to curb all illegal activities affecting its operations and making it run at a loss every month.

The source said Tompolo held a crucial stakeholders’ meeting in his Oporoza country home in the Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State on Wednesday.

Reacting to the development, Nigerians took to the micro-blogging platform, Twitter to blast the Federal Government for making the moves while students are still home due to the prolonged strike by ASUU.

Read comments below:

@tope_femi: N4bn monthly? ASUU is there fighting for education funds. This president is a mistake.

@matrumery: So all the military that died during tompolo’s disaster all died in vain

@lifeof_prince: You set out to fight for your people against oil companies destroying your people’s means of livelihood and quality of life, government called you to offer you 4b monthly and all of a sudden you are now protecting them against your people?

What a freedom fighter! Tueh!

@deesordivine: Oil theft cannot be stopped, and the federal government knows that, you don’t give the people what they want and you want to take from them, once tompolo supports are no more, niggas is going to be useless and someone else will step up to take his place and be receiving more…