By Austin Ogwuda
THE Ovie of the Great Idjerhe Kingdom in Delta State, His Majesty, King Obukowho Monday Whiskey, UDURHIE 1 has called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to look into the possibility of expanding the scope of the surveillance contract awarded to former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), High Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo.
The monarch, a notable strong voice in the Niger Delta region said the call has become necessary following the outstanding successes recorded by Tompolo’s company, Tantita Security Services Limited in the fight against oil theft in the region.
While commending Tompolo for the diligent execution of the contract awarded to him by the Federal Government where his security outfit made several arrests of foreign vessels stealing the nation’s crude oil, he said that such an expansion, if granted, will help towards the sustainability of the recorded successes so far.
The Idjerhe monarch, whose domain lost over one thousand subjects in the ill-fated 1998 Jesse pipeline explosion made this position known in a press statement personally signed by him and made available to newsmen yesterday.
Recall the recent arrest of a massive vessel, MT Tura 11, carrying over 150 metric tonnes of stolen crude oil along the Escravos sea in Delta State.
His words, “with the recent arrest of the foreign bunkering vessel by the authorities of the Tantita Security limited owned by High Government Owezide Ekpemukpolo alias Tompolo it is now clear to everyone that the company does not only have the capacity to deliver on its mandate but that it has the patriotic zeal to save the Nation’s economic well being.
“Government must not only properly fund the Tantita to meet its financial needs to the growing staff list and huge technology that is involved in carrying out this all important security assignment but government through relevant agencies should urgently expand the scope of the job to ensure more employment opportunities and discourages locals from supporting foreign elements/Security forces who are deeply involved in this unholy vandalization of our economic resources and in process destroy the Niger Delta Environments.
“Tantita has taking the highest security risks against known and unknown cartels whose stocks in trade is pipeline vandalism and environmental pollution and it behooves on the federal government to reciprocate the company gestures by proper funding and expanding of the current job scope so that the Nigeria Economy can again be restored through the hard work of this patriotic Niger Deltan High Chief Government Owezide Ekpemukpolo a.k.a Tompolo.
“Government and its agencies responsible for this project”, the statement went on, “must leave up to its corporate social and economic responsibilities by regularly funding the project as the economic saboteurs are all waiting for its failure so that they lunch their attacks again in more disastrous manners.
” God forbid, let those who have laboured and take the risk of protecting sensitive National Assets benefit from their labour so that others can be encouraged to follow such patriotic part”, the monarch further stated.