Tompolo allies fault oil thieves for pipeline deal pressure

Supporters loyal to former militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, have accused illegal oil bunkerers of being behind growing calls for the revocation of pipeline surveillance contracts linked to the Niger Delta figure.

The loyalists, operating under the aegis of the PBAT Door-2-Door Movement, made the allegation in Abuja during a solidarity march in support of the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Addressing journalists, the group’s National Coordinator, Sunday Asuku, said critics of the pipeline surveillance arrangement were motivated by vested interests, insisting that recent agitations for the cancellation or fragmentation of the contracts were not in the national interest.

He said, “You don’t need to be told that those agitating for the contract to be split or revoked are enemies of Nigeria.

“I can tell you that these are oil bunkerers who are hungry and aggrieved that Tompolo has come to sanitise the place.

“They are angry because they have been fattening on our pipelines and collecting our patrimony.

“Now, they can see that the number of barrels being rolled out daily has increased. This has not been happening before until Tompolo was given the task of securing the pipelines.

“So, what is their problem? If you know that you are interested in the contract, go and lobby.”

The group said its members are content with what Tompolo is doing with the pipeline surveillance.

It appealed to the President to ignore the calls and renew Tompolo’s contract to do well.

The defence of Tompolo comes amid intensifying debate over the structure and control of pipeline surveillance contracts in the oil-rich Niger Delta, a region historically plagued by crude oil theft, vandalism and militant activities.

Just last week, a coalition of regional leaders under the banner of the Coalition of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities raised concerns over what it described as the concentration of surveillance contracts in the hands of a few individuals.

The group called on the Federal Government to decentralise pipeline protection arrangements across communities, warning that failure to adopt a more inclusive approach could trigger fresh unrest in the region.

The statement was endorsed by representatives of several Niger Delta youth organisations, including the Ijaw Youth Council, Isoko Youth Group, Ogoni Federated Youth, Ibom Youth Council, and the Eastern Zone of the Ijaw Youth Council.

Amid the controversy, Asuku urged Nigerians to remain patient with Tinubu’s administration, saying efforts were underway to address longstanding challenges in the country’s oil sector and broader economy.

He said, “We are here to make everybody understand that the choice before Nigeria is either Tinubu or nothing. Mr President is the right choice and has been doing well. We should give him more time to do better.

“The decade of rot over the decade cannot be corrected in just a few years. To this end, it is good that we give him more time to right the wrong of the past.

“We in PBAT Door-to-Door Movement are not going to rest on our oars. We will continue to mobilise in millions to ensure President Tinubu is returned to office in 2027.

“Our members are well represented in the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT. It is not the movement of the masses, not celebrities.”(Punch)