A Niger Delta group, the Ijaw People's Development Initiative, IPDI, has strongly condemned calls by the reformed Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, and the Civil Society Coalition for Mandate Protection, for calling for the review of the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, TSSNL, a surveillance outfit owned by High Chief (Dr) Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.

IPDI, in a statement by its national president, Comr. Ozobo Austin, said it was shameful that the responsible Oodua Peoples Congress (Reformed) could allow itself to be used by merchants of confusion and blackmailers to demand for review of Tompolo's surveillance contract in the Niger Delta barely a short while of its review.

Comr. Ozobo said, "We are aware that selfish and failed stakeholders who were also bidding for the contract were behind verbal attacks against Tompolo and Tantita Security company. It's only the enemies of Niger Delta that could at this time, barely a few months of the renew of Tompolo's Surveillance Contract, [are] calling again for review of such a contract.

"The Oodua Congress and others, in case they forget, should know that the Niger Delta pipeline surveillance contract was initiated by High Chief (Dr) Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo. It was part of the terms agreed upon during the signing of the presidential Amnesty Programme.

"Despite the pipeline security contract being initiated by Tompolo, it was awarded to the Yorubas, Calabars, and Benins from 2009 till 2022, when the Buhari-led administration awarded part of the contract to Tompolo having observed that the activities of oil theft get increasing despite being superintendent by the Navy, NSCDC, Army and non-indigenous contractors.

"In case the Oodua Congress and others are poor students of history, they should know that the federal government revoked the pipeline surveillance from non-indigenous contractors and military because it loses confidence in them. It took the Buhari administration to sort for capable hands for a reasonable period of time before Tompolo was recommended from the security angle.

"Despite this recommendation, it was still part of the contract that was awarded to Tompolo. The bigger part which has to do with the offshore is still in the hands of the Itsekiri monarch. I feel disgusted when people of Yoruba, Itsekiri and Ilaje decide to remain mute over the large portion of the Surveillance Contract their brother is handling and continues to point fingers at Tompolo. This is very unfair and mischievous," Comr. Ozobo fumes.

Speaking further, he said, "Let me state unequivocally that the Nigeria crude daily production was far below a 1m barrel per day at the time Tompolo came on board, but today the narrative is no longer the same; we now approximately produce 1.7m barrels per day. This was the reason the federal government decided to renew the Tompolo Surveillance Contract.

"Tompolo has shown capacity, resilience, competence, intelligence and resourcefulness in the fight against oil theft. This is a fact why the federal government will allow Tompolo to continue being in charge of the Surveillance Contract for now. The Itsekiri monarch contract is cutting across Ijaw in scope, but no Ijaw has agitated that the contract should be revoked from the Itsekiri monarch. I am very disappointed at some unpopular stakeholders using all mediums to incite discord against Tompolo in order to get the contract awarded to them. This is shameful and desperation taken too far.

"Again, it should be stated clearly that the government is not interested about who gets what but deeply interested about who can end oil theft in the country. Till this moment, the federal government is aware that in the whole of Niger Delta there is no one who can do the surveillance job better than Tompolo, hence all these cheap calls for contract review will end up in a deft ears of the government for now," the IPDI Boss predicted.

Comr. Ozobo further alleges that those against the award of the surveillance contract to Tompolo are on a ploy to continue oil theft in the region knowing that with Tompolo it is no longer business as usual, just as he urged them to turn over a new leaf.

"We are aware that these unfounded calls have been sponsored by oil thieves and greedy contractors. Their reason is not far fetched, they want the surveillance contract to be given to the military or inexperienced and incompetent contractor to create a room for them to continue their oil theft business. The government is aware of the sinister intention of those calling on president Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review or revoke the Tompolo pipeline surveillance contract.

"The whole gamut of the call to review Tompolo's Surveillance Contract is being manipulated by corrupt and greedy fellows. To think of it, despite the contract being awarded to Tompolo's Surveillance Company, it is still being handled by boys, men and women in such areas or tribes where such operations are carried out. No foreigner is employed to do the job. All the subcontractors are indigenes of the oil and gas communities in Niger Delta.

"It is a known fact the contract can't accommodate everybody in the whole community, maybe that is what some referred to as marginalisation, I don't know. But what I know is that no community under Tompolo's Surveillance coverage is marginalised and sidelined.

"Therefore, I advise mischief makers and enemies of progress in Niger Delta to repent from their stock in trade and engage themselves in productive activities rather than blackmailing and betraying a fellow brother for bread and meat. It is part of my appeal to the federal government to ignore and disregard sinister calls of perceived oil thieves to pave the way to continue their business."

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