A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) yesterday staged a protest in Abuja, asking the federal government to be wary of renewing the pipeline surveillance contract with Tantita Security Services, a company operated by former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly called Tompolo.
The protesters under the aegis of Northern Youth Advocacy for Good Governance Initiative and Arewa Youth Congress stormed the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) in Abuja carried placards with inscriptions such; President Tinubu please save Nigeria, Pipeline Surveillance is a fraud, among others.
The spokesperson of the group, Comrade Musa Adebayo who is the president of the Arewa Youth Congress said it was a major matter of concern how much concerted efforts are being made to re-award the pipeline surveillance contract to an ex-militant general, despite the tension, financial malfeasance, disinformation and abnormalities that are inherent in the contract.
The coalition said it expects that the federal government interest should be centred on knowing the true cost of the pipeline surveillance contract was awarded as fresh facts and figures continue to emerge in the media.
Adebayo said, “As concerned citizens we understand that the country is too tense to allow for any action that may breed internal turmoil and more controversy within the ranks of its citizenry and we believe that awarding contracts to someone who should ordinarily be behind for the economic mayhem caused in the Niger Delta region between 2016 and 2018 is total anti-peace and anti-development.
It is obvious to Nigerians that there is no significant rise in the oil production quantum since this contract was awarded to Tompolo. The successes being celebrated were the normal production rates of the country before the mayhem of the Niger Delta Avengers”.
