Traditional rulers in the Niger Delta have enlisted support for the federal government’s decision to award the oil pipelines surveillance contract to the leader of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo.
The traditional rulers, who were led to an interactive session with Tompolo by the Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom in Ethiope West local government area of Delta State, King Monday Obukowho Whiskey (JP), commended the government for awarding Tompolo the contract.
According to the monarchs, they have the confidence in the capacity of Tompolo to handle the job because he is not a first timer.
“He has done it before. He has an antecedence and we are confident that he can do it better provided that the relevant stakeholders are carried along,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Tomopolo assured the royal fathers that every Niger Delta person is an important stakeholder in the project and fair play would be the watchword in employing those who will work for the scheme.
Tompolo said: “We will employ 60-40. 60 for the men, 40 for the women; we are going to monitor all the people that we going to employ and after now, we will get the right names and the location where we are going to work; so that you won’t pass through any third party.”
Similarly, deputy president of the senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has said the award of the contract to Tompolo is a thoughtful decision, adding that it holds the promise of impacting positively on constant efforts by the federal government to curtail avoidable disruptions in crude oil production and improve the national economy, security and stability.
He noted that Tompolo is an extraordinary Niger Delta patriot whose passion for proper development of the region is unblemished, though sometimes misunderstood, according to Martin Aruviere Egharhevwa, an aide to the deputy senate president.
