According to reports, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, a former militant commander and commander of the disbanded Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), has had his multimillion dollar pipeline monitoring contract with the Federal Government extended.
The Federal government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, and Tompolo are said to have inked a contract to put an end to illicit bunkering, illegal refining, and other types of oil theft in the Niger Delta, according to The Nation.
According to a source, Tompolo met with significant stakeholders on Wednesday in his Oporoza country house in the Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State. He said that a sizable number of Niger Delta stakeholders, particularly from Bayelsa State, attended the conference. He said that more than 5000 people were present.
The arrangement with the former soldier who has extensive knowledge of the creeks is worth more over N4 billion every month, the insider said. The former MEND commander’s responsibilities, according to the source, will include monitoring and supervising other surveillance contracts, contractors, and their actions throughout the whole Niger Delta.
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He said that Tompolo had performed a similar function when Diezani Alison-Madueke served as the minister of petroleum during the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“The government merely reviewed and restored his old contract. Before the cancellation of his contract, the arrangements he put in place tackled illegal bunkering and increased production quota to over two million barrels per day. But the new government cancelled the contract, declared him wanted and he was later exonerated of all wrongdoings.
They have realised the need to bring him back because currently, the country is losing over 500,000 barrels per day to illegal bunkering” he said
According to the source, the new agreement was negotiated by Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum, and a number of top NNPC officials, including Adokiye Tombomelye, Group Executive Director, Upstream. According to the source, NNPC was resolved to stop all illicit activities that were harming its operations and causing it to operate at a loss each month as a new profitable enterprise.
The former presidents of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, Udengs Eradiri, and Eric Omare, priests of the Ijaw religious group Egbesu, led by Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei, leaders of all youth organisations in the Niger Delta, and leaders of notorious cult organisations in the area were among those he mentioned as being present at the meeting.
Former MEND unit commanders such Eris Paul, also known as General Oguboss, Pius Wareyal, also known as General Pius, Joshua Macaiver, Pastor Reuben Wilson, Young Shall Grow, and all the second phase “generals,” according to him, were notable attendees.
