“Oil pipeline Surveillance contract to Tompolo, reward of competence” – Ex-NASS member, Ijaw Youths tells opposition

Former Member of the national Assembly from Bayelsa State, Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange and the leadership of the Ijaw Youths Council, worldwide have described as ‘commendable’ and ‘reward of competence’ the award of Oil pipeline surveillance contract by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to foremost Former Ex-Militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo also known as Tompolo.

While Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange, who served as Senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial district between 2007 and 2011, described the decision to award the Surveillance job as a reward for track record of competence and expertise in security in the Niger Delta region.

The umbrella body of Ijaw Youths, Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), led by the President, Deacon Peter Igbifa, said the decision is a clear affirmation of the capacity and the leadership acumen of High Chief Tompolo along the creeks and rivers of the region.

Senator Barigha-Amange, in a statement in Yenagoa, noted that the position of the Niger Delta Leaders especially Stakeholders is clear on the award of the contract to Tompolo which he fully support as Tompolo’s company like other bidder was at liberty to bid, win, execute any legitimate job with a track record of competence and expertise in security in the Niger Delta region.

According to him, “Tompolo’s contract is only a tip of the iceberg to the reality of the Niger Delta tales and renewed call for complete practice of the tenets of restructuring as restated over time. It is obvious that the Niger Delta people are engraved to be in the middle of nowhere and labeled ‘Theft’ even when the real thieves parade themselves as security personnel, contractors and Political Allies to wound the nations economy already in “Comatose”.

“It is on record that Nigeria loses over 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day to theft, translating to a drop from the OPEC Minimal standard of 1.8 million to 1.4 million barrels per day which in simple terms are translated as losing over 6.132 billion barrels of crude oil annually. The Senator questioned further that, the big question on the lips of many Nigerians is the reality that Nigeria loses over 10 % of it’s daily crude oil production to oil thieves and pipeline vandals amounting to a staggering 1 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2022.”

Barigha-Amange,who is also the new Chairman of the socio-cultural group of Nembe Kingdom known as Nembe Se, restated the need for the Niger Delta region to be paid 100% royalty in contrast to the total revenue presently accruing to the Federal Government against the complete exploitation of her resources, “beyond nibbling at the edges of the matters of security in the Nigeria State especially to confront the economic question, the petroleum profit should be shared amicably to create in road into economic prosperity for the Niger Delta people and the Country at large.”

The President of the IYC, Deacon Peter Igbifa, in a position made available after a call by the Executive Council members of the Ijaw Youth leadership to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo also known as Tompolo at Oporoza in Delta State, expressed the readiness of the youths from the region to partner with the Surveillance contractors to end the menace of oil theft.

According to Igbifa, though Ijaw Youths were angered by the purported protest against the award of the Surveillance contracts to Tompolo, “For us, Tompolo has been in the waters and creeks of the region and knows the issues that will end the crude oil theft. He knows the importance of keeping the region’s environment safe. He has kick-started consultation among the stakeholders and the job will be widely acceptable”

Comments

comments