The execution of the controversial N48 billion oil pipeline surveillance contract recently awarded to a former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo a.k.a. Tompolo is expected to get underway today.
Tompolo, who seems to have won over many of the militants who initially kicked over the award of the contract to him, said during a meeting with stakeholders in his Oporoza country home in Delta State on Thursday that serious actions to end illegal oil activities in the Niger Delta would commence today.
“Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we are going to move into serious action to stop all the illegal activities in the Niger Delta region,” he said.
He called for the understanding of all, saying “we don’t have any other country than Nigeria.”
He pledged to carry everybody along, give all stakeholders a sense of belonging and ensure that the generality of the people of the region are accommodated.
His plan for the Niger Delta, according to him, is “to carry everybody along.”
Continuing, he said: “People trying to do illegal bunkering are doing so to survive because there is no other means to survive.
“But trying to survive with kpo-fire (illegal refineries) is even destroying our environment more than their benefits.
“We are now working with everybody to see that we follow the right path.
“That is the reason we don’t want to be second class citizens because we produce the oil that feeds everybody in this nation.
“We have pipelines all over the place; in little part of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers. So, we need to spread it across. Nobody can satisfy everybody. That is why I am inviting everybody here.
“I have been in this struggle for all these years. I know that greed is the cause of all the problems in this country. If I want to work with few people, it will not go down with many people.
“You need to spread it and give whatever is due to everybody including women and youths to them.
“I have been here running helter-skelter without any police escort for the past seven years. If I go to any community, everybody will embrace me because I see everybody as equal in the eyes of God.”
The Nation gathered that soon after some militants began issuing threats over the contract award, Tompolo began reaching out to stakeholders in the oil-rich region, especially those from Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa and Imo states with a view to dousing the tension.
The Thursday meeting was one of the several convened by him on the matter.
It was attended by traditional rulers from Bayelsa State.
Tompolo, sources said, also met with Representative Farah Dagogo (Degema-Bonny Rivers State) and some chiefs from Bonny Kingdom.
Dagogo, a former militant leader, was accompanied to the meeting by former commanders of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) from Kula, Degema, Bonny, Kalabari and Okirika; areas notorious for illegal bunkering.
Dagogo is said to have thrown his weight behind Tompolo on the contract because he believes it will go a long way in checking illegal oil bunkering.
A source close to the meeting said: “Dagogo came with most MEND commanders in Rivers State.
“As an Ijaw leader, Tompolo wanted the stakeholders to know about the contract. He sought their cooperation because the job will be done in their territories.
“He was also seeking their input on how to do the job so that nobody will be hurt.
“Basically he doesn’t want to hurt anybody because he knows that most people are involved in this oil bunkering.
“Instead of paying people to engage in shootout with those doing bunkering, he wants everybody to know that what most of them are doing is illegal and that the time to stop has come.
“He wants their support and their cooperation. Most of them have agreed to work with him because he will also be doing recruitment from their community.”
The Chief Superintending Officer, Supreme Egbesu Order (SEO), Tompolo’s religion, Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei, confirmed that Tompolo had made the contract a community affair.
He said the former ex-militant desired to include all the communities in his area of operation as beneficiaries of the contract.
He said Tompolo had vowed to be directly involved in the recruitment of community youths that would be involved in securing pipelines in their area.
Kemepadei said as part of the modalities, Tompolo would pay such youths directly instead of engaging middlemen to relate with them.
The Egbesu leader also said there was no rift between Tompolo and the King of Okochiri in Rivers State and former militant leader, Ateke Tom.
“There is no problem between Ateke Tom and Tompolo. Alhaji Asari Dokubo also has no problem with Tompolo. They have all spoken about the contract and they pledged their support.”
Kemepadei said some militants who appeared in a viral video and vowed to resist the contract had also withdrawn their threats and apologised to Tompolo.
He said: “I can tell you that most of those boys have regretted their actions. They have apologised and said they only wanted to be included in the contract.
“All the ex-militant leaders in the region have agreed to work with Tompolo to secure the pipelines. They know that the GOC (Tompolo) will not shortchange them and will always protect their interests.
“I can assure you that there will be a boom in oil production especially in the axis controlled by Tompolo when he begins full implementation of the contract.
“His consultations are far-reaching and those who feel sidelined should just be patient because he will surely reach them.”
The Secretary of First Phase Ex-agitators, Pastor Nature Dumale, said separately that ex-militants were now in support of the contract awarded to Tompolo, saying “it is for the Niger Delta”.
He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for awarding the contract and asked for the co-operation of Niger Delta leaders.
“Let us not fight against ourselves at this point. Let us not divide ourselves at this point because a house divided against itself cannot stand. United we will be able to achieve and form a common front,” he said.
Several militant groups in the region had expressed anger with the federal government for leaving them out of the juicy contract and called for an immediate review to accommodate ‘everyone’.
Following the development, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) stepped into the matter with the president of the group, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, setting up a five-member committee to interface with stakeholders to forestall any trouble.
