By Austin Ogwuda
FORMER Deputy Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly and presently Senior Policy Adviser to the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Funkekeme Solomon has called on the Federal Government to adopt the strategies used by Chief Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo in the fight against crude oil theft in the country.
Solomon who was appreciative of the awards Tompolo received during the weekend, said in a statement in Asaba that
“I want to commend Chief Ekpemupolo on the successes recorded by his organisation that earned him a special recognition by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
“For a long time, the impression had been created that oil theft cannot be curbed. But Tompolo, through his patriotic commitment to the assignment, has shown that it can be done.
“He (Tompolo) has shown that despite the allure of blood oil, there are people that are genuinely committed to saving the economy from collapse.
Crude oil still remains the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy and accounts for more than 90 percent of our foreign exchange earnings.
“The continuous bleeding of this artery of the nation’s economy is a serious challenge to our collective well being. That Tompolo is conscientiously restoring sanity to the industry will have a calming effect on the economy”, he stated.
Recall that the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Chris Isiguzo led a powerful delegation to Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom, last weekend to present the NUJ Internal Security Meritorious Award on Tompolo in appreciation of the accomplishments his organisation, Tantita Security Services.
The award, according to Dr Isiguzo was in recognition of Tompolo’s outstanding contributions to the security of oil and gas infrastructure by curtailing oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.
Responding, Tompolo said, “I don’t have any other place, except Nigeria. Nigeria is the only country I have, so we must all join hands to protect and move Nigeria forward.
“Our economy is in dire need of survival so we cannot fold our hands and allow some persons to sabotage the nation’s economy because of greed”.
Also at the same occasion, Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF) inducted Tompolo into the DOPF Niger Delta Media Hall of Fame.
The Chairman of DOPF, Mr. Emmanuel Enebeli, ANIPR, noted that it was sequenced to an overwhelming vote of the people of the Niger Delta Region in an Online poll, conducted within a period of four months beginning from June 2021 – October 2021.
Enebeli said Ekpemupolo’s selection for this prestigious Honour was also based on his uncommon struggles and determinations towards the liberation of the Niger Delta Region from economic and environmental degradation, political and social marginalization, and stagnation.
The official induction and presentation were done by the DOPF’s Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Chief Omafume Amurun.
Credit: Ndokwa Reporters