Niger Delta: Tompolo warns against environmental pollution, reads riot act to oil thieves in Nigeria
…Says No more illegal bunkering
Popular Niger Delta freedom fighter, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo has announced mass recruitment of people from the region to check crude oil activities against theft, vandalism, and to prevent environmental pollution.
GbaramatuVoice recalls that the Federal Government has renewed a multi-million dollar pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo.
ALSO WATCH: Tompolo gives first public speech 13 years after …Declares war on oil theft
The former leader of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), who spoke in public on Friday in Oporoza Town, the headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, stated that men and women from various communities in Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Imo and other Niger Delta states will benefit from the project adding that salaries will be paid directly to those employed in the scheme.
ALSO READ: We’ll soon reveal big men behind crude oil theft in Nigeria – Presidency
Tompolo who spoke in Pidgin English while addressing stakeholders, ex-agitators, and youths from Delta State, stated that the employment exercise will center around 60% engagement for men while women get 40%.
He said: “But wetin make I call una come here, na how to stop illegal bunkering. As I dey, my place na Okerenkoko, Gbaramatu Kingdom but other people come from other communities. Wetin I won tell una today, especially the community leaders, youth leaders, our mothers, from today, after the meeting we go work out how we go take do the work, that no more illegal bunkering.
“As we dey like this Okerenkoko na one of the best communities in Ijaw land, but na government help us do everything wey we get. Why we call everybody, every community na chairman be leader, because na everybody sit down elect am and after now, we go give una address and where everybody go do the work. The employment na both men and women, 60-40, men 60, women 40, na so we go take do the work.”
He stated that there will be further outsourcing of contracts to major players in Bayelsa, Rivers, Imo and other states respectively pointing out that the project has nothing to do with the amnesty exercise.
Tompolo continued: “As we dey here dey talk, we nor dey pretend, this na wetin everybody take dey survive, God self know. If say we don get our right before this time, most of us for nor involve.
“As I dey here, I nor fit pretend say, I nor know the people wey dey do the bunkering business, you self know them, even the Government know them, but na beg we won beg.
“People wen they do am, people wen dey sell, everybody na dey involve and wetin we dey discuss here today na from here to Bayelsa, Imo and Rivers states. So wetin I won beg everybody, especially the community leaders, this work nor go be like Amnesty program, anybody wen we employ, the money go just go straight to am.”
He tasked leaders of the communities to support the scheme to protect the Niger Delta region saying that noting that the moves to protect the coast were targeted to stop revenue leakages of the federal government of Nigeria and the ongoing environmental degradation.
While calling for total cooperation among various communities in the region, Tompolo stated that the exercise is not a case of land dispute but such that will bring unity and harmony to indigenes of the Niger Delta states.
He disclosed that operatives of the Nigeria Army, Navy, Department of State Security (DSS) Police, and other security apparatus are deeply involved in the project as part of measures to arrest and prosecute anyone with the intention to sabotage the protection of government assets.
It could be recalled that the government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited signed the deal with Tompolo to stop illegal bunkering, illegal refining, and other forms of oil theft in the Niger Delta.
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