Urges Tinubu to Disregard Demands to Revoke Tompolo's Pipeline Protection Contract, Says Eradiri

Udengs Eradiri, former President of the Ijaw Youths Council, IYC, Worldwide, has urged President Bola Tinubu to disregard calls to cancel the oil and gas security surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services, TSS, owned by Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo.

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This appeal comes as a civil society organisation, Global Network for Good Governance and Rights Concern Initiative, is pushing for the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to immediately terminate the multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract.

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Eradiri believes that the calls for cancellation are driven by enemies of Nigeria and conflict merchants who seek to revive oil theft, illegal bunkering, violence, and bloodshed, and are motivated by jealousy and hatred towards Tompolo.

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He expressed shock that some individuals are opposed to the firm that has made significant contributions to stabilising the region's security and peace, simply out of jealousy and hatred for Tompolo.

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Eradiri, a former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa State, views the Tantita surveillance contract as one of the positive initiatives inherited and sustained by the Tinubu administration, which has put an end to conflicts that previously led to a decline in oil production.

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A civil society organisation, led by Executive Director Dennis Mene, is calling for the termination of the contract, arguing that entrusting private entities with the protection of oil pipelines and national infrastructure undermines the armed forces' and security institutions' constitutional responsibilities.

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The group, in a statement issued in Warri, Delta State, raised concerns about the transparency of the multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract, reportedly worth around N48 billion annually, and questioned the procurement process and whether the contract was subjected to open and competitive bidding.

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The organisation alleged that the concentration of such contracts within a particular ethnic group in the Niger Delta has generated resentment among other stakeholders, including the Isoko, Kalabari, and Itsekiri communities, who feel sidelined in matters related to protecting resources in their ancestral areas.

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The group is urging President Tinubu to discontinue the contract with Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and instead advocate for a decentralised and community-based surveillance framework that involves stakeholders from all oil-producing states through a transparent and inclusive process.