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Northern Group Lashes At Critics of Tompolo
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
The Arewa Intelligentia Caucus has lambasted General Olarenwaju.the former communications Minister over his negative comments on a pipeline surveillance companies engaged by the federal government.
A statement jointly signed by the President of the group, Abubakar Ciroma and Nasiru Adamu , the publicity secretary released on Wednesday frowned at the unguarded utterances credited to the retired general and sone self appointed groups.
He said it is a figment of imagination for anyone or group to contemplate that the military and the security company Tantita are colluding to encourage oil thefts in the Niger Delta rather than protecting same.
The statement further maintained those that are afraid of Tompolo and the security outfit, Tantita are at work .
He described them variously those at work are dissidents who failed to influence government to turn down it’s renewal, illegal bunkerers that the company had rose against their activities, those who also lost bid to secure the security job, as well as their bid to decentralize the security job.
They also accused them of their inability to plant a surrogate in the presidential amnesty program , and those economic saboteurs whose activities were checkmated by the Tantita security outfit.
The statement further reads..
WHO IS AFRAID OF TOMPOLO IN THE NIGER DELTA AND WANTS HIM EASED OUT?
“On the heels of the March 14, 2024, murder of officers and soldiers of 181 Amphibious Battalion, Nigerian Army Bomadi, in Delta State, Retired Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, former Communication Minister, like a dinosaur emerged out of oblivion to take a swipe at private security companies, hired by the Federal Government to provide surveillance over the nation’s oil assets. ”
“In a follow up, three days, or there about, a faceless group also came out to make a frontal attack at Tompolo and his security surveillance outfit, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL).”
” Its grouse was that Tompolo and the murdered Nigerian Army officers and soldiers were involved in oil theft.
Accusations Nigerians see as a lie and unsubstantiated.”
“The questions that arise from the tirades prompt one ask: who is afraid of Tompolo and Tantita and wants their integrity tarnished to get them out of the way?”
“1 They are the frustrated crude oil barons in the Niger Delta, whose illegal crude oil bunkering activities were crippled and flushed out by Tantita Security Services Limited. ”
“2.They are those who lost bids to secure pipelines surveillance and protection contracts.
They were denied contracts because security reports that found them unworthy.”
“3.They are those who failed in their desperate effort to break and decentralize the existing pipelines surveillance contracts of the Federal Government.”
“4.They are the same collectives of disenchanted national economic saboteurs, who lost sleep and peace of mind, because their ill intentions were checkmated by operatives of Tompolo’s Tantita. ”
“5 They think Tompolo once again out smarted them when they failed to plant through the back door, a surrogate in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, as administrator.”
“These people are known to the Federal Government as men having dubious objectives and intentions.
They have never been found worthy of trust. Their criminal activities are well known to the authorities.”
” They are envious of Tompolo for being in a symbiotic and warm relationship with the federal government, to take the nation’s economy out of the woods.
They regularly drag him with petty blackmails out of frustration.
Will engaging in names – calling help their situation?”
“Only genuine repentance from criminality would.
Those who go to equity must appear with clean hands.
The government is not oblivious of their notoriety.
Tompolo is a man of conscience and integrity, vilifying campaigns won’t change public perception of him.”
“For us outside the Niger Delta, we deeply appreciate Chief (Dr.) Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, for stabilizing crude oil production, raising it from 600,000 barrels per day to near 1.7 million barrels. This is patriotism at work and a standing up for the fatherland.”
“The recent collaboration between the Armed Forces and Tantita galvanized the economy, else it would have been in complete shambles. Those Tantita chased out of Niger Delta for crude theft and economic sabotage are fighting back, using decoys like General Olanrewaju retired and others.”
“Tantita’s operations have caused collateral damage to the facilities of the oil syndicates. Equipment worth millions of dollars, used in stealing and siphoning crude were impounded by Tantita. ”
“The thieves have done all they could to manipulate the situation, including running to court and coercing Tompolo. But the situation remains unchanged and dicey for them. ”
“The determination to properly apply the law in the prosecution of the crews of the impounded vessels, MT Kali and MT HARBOR SPIRIT had taken the wind off the sails of the oil syndicates.”
“They have deployed every tactic in the book to fight the system, but their tricks are not working. The court order, which sanctioned the confiscation of the bunkering vessels, their contents and detention of crews is still in place.
No cutting corners this time, the battle to free crude production completely from criminal interference rages. ”
“We are therefore elated that the baron owners of the ships are being held and prosecuted.
This is the first time that the law is being fully applied.
Thanks to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for not listening to fifth columns.”
“Tantita’s operation has received accolades from the Presidency, the Service Chiefs, National Assembly (NASS) and a consortium of national newspapers, including the powerful Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).”
“Even the Navy, that initially posed resistance to Tantita backed down, when confronted with the firm’s resolute determination to put an end to the economic sabotage. ”
“A prophet is usually not honoured at home. Desperate oil thieves at home and their international backers of oil barons are those behind efforts to drag Tompolo and Tantita in the mud.”
“They have joined hands with those who either failed in the bid for the pipeline surveillance contracts or failed to in their wicked desire to force the Federal Government to decentralise the ongoing contracts.”
“It is ridiculous to associate Tompolo with the despicable killing of soldiers at Okuama. Is Tompolo from that area? Is Okuama an integral part of Tompolo’s enclave in Gbaramatu kingdom, where he holds the ace?”
“Does Tompolo’s overlordship spread to Urhobo community of Okuama, in Ughelli South Council Area of Delta State, the hotbed of the bloodbath ?
Those smearing him want to create doubts on his character.
They failed in previous attempts. They will also fail in this.”
“The Nigerian Army came public to tell the nation that they know those who murdered their personnel and the cirsumstances leading to the tragic end of the slain troops. Tompolo is as clean as a whistle.”
“And from available intelligence, the wanted leader of the killer gang, one Endurance Okodeh, alias Amagbein, also recently killed a Tantita coordinator in the area.
Okuama does not have oil and gas facilities. So, where was Tompolo taking the soldiers to for bunkering in the araea when they ran into ambush as expressed in the publication?”
“Before Tantita recent alliance with the Nigerian Navy, there were some misconceptions between both parties. The Navy would have exposed Tompolo if he was involved in illegal bunkering, this would have afforded the Navy the much-needed opportunity to strike and nail the ex-Niger Delta militant leader. At the end of the face-off, the Navy and its authorities were forced to eat the humble pies.”
“Fabricating stories of Tompolo’s theft of oil is therefore not credible.
Tompolo should not be distracted. His people and their external cohorts are the one after him for selfish reasons. He should be left alone.”
“Must Tompolo be dragged into everything just to pull him down?
Those of us outside the Niger Delta, especially all right thinking Nigerians are happy with the role Tompolo is playing in the national interest.”
“The syndicate of crude thieves have hired all and sundry to malign and disparage Tantita and other private security companies involved in pipelines surveillance. All their effort seems like water poured on the back of a dock.”
“Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju being one of such individuals. He placed the cart before the horse to his utter embarrassment.”
“The assault on Tompolo and Tantita appears not to bear fruits, because like an octopus, the Federal Government has many tentacles everywhere.
It keeps an eye on Tompolo. The government knows the allegations are not true. The promoters of the smear campaign shall fall flat on their faces and destroy themselves in the process.”
“We in the AREWA INTELLIGENTIA CAUCUS, a broad-based intellectual forum of the three Northern geo-political zones of Nigeria, therefore seizes this opportunity to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to confer a national honour on Chief (Dr.) Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, in acknowledgement of his roles in nation building and development.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The Spokesman for the House of Representatives, Rep. Akin Rotimi (APC-Ekitit state) has said the House of Representatives will on Wednesday, debate the state of emergency declared on Rivers by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement on Tuesday, Rotimi said that President Bola Tinubu had officially written the house of his decision in line with section 305 of the Constitution.
“Mr. President’s formal letter, informing the House of Representatives of his decision and seeking approval in line with Section 305 of the Constitution, has been transmitted.
“It will be read during plenary tomorrow, Wednesday, March 19, and further legislative action debated and decided,” he said.
Following the lingering political unrest between the Executive and the Legislature in Rivers, Tinubu, in a live broadcast on Tuesday, declared a state of emergency on the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the President suspended Gov. Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu and all elected lawmakers of the State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
NAN reports that Tinubu appointed the former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the Sole Administrator of Rivers while the judiciary continued operations.
Following the influence of the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike on the political face off, many stakeholders had threatened to embark on mass protests while others had commenced vandalising public property like oil pipelines.
Rotimi, however, said that the National Assembly was duly consulted before the declaration of state of emergency by the President.
He said that the leadership of the National Assembly met with the President and the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu among other security chiefs ahead of the broadcast. (NAN)
Bode George, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described Abdul-Azeez Adediran, the party’s candidate in the 2023 governorship election in Lagos, as a “congenital liar”.
George spoke on Tuesday in a chat with Jimi Disu on Nigerian Info FM.
Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, joined the PDP from the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the 2023 elections and picked the party’s governorship ticket.
On Monday, he announced his return to the APC four days after meeting President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
Speaking about the former PDP governorship candidate, George said Jandor taught PDP “a lesson,” noting that he had agreed to pick Gbadebo Rhodes-Viviour as his running mate but reneged.
“He is a congenital liar. We stumbled into him through an older, respectable leader who brought him. It was something unusual because Gbadebo (Rhodes-Vivour) was at the forefront (of the PDP governorship ticket), the party chieftain said.
“But when the respectable man brought Jandor, we had to make a decision because, in our culture, we respect the elderly.
“Gbadebo was on hand, but I asked him his age, and he said he was 39, and Jandor said he was 45. And I said, ‘We can work something out’.
“I concluded that Jandor had been vetted by the old man. Until we had agreed that he would choose Gbadebo as his running mate. Then Gbadebo stepped down after paying 21 million for the party’s governorship ticket.
“Then, one day, Fashola said on TV that Jandor was his former cameraman. That was when we started digging into him.
“All of the party’s elders have concluded that we will not listen to any input from anybody from now on. Let whoever wants to contest go to the field.
“It is a lesson that he (Jandor) taught us. When he got the ticket, he did not want to take Gbadebo as his running mate. He lives in a conundrum of lies.
“Our party doesn’t do that, and we, the elders, apologised profusely, vowing that what happened with Jandor would never repeat itself.”
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas has described food insecurity as a huge national challenge which must be addressed by al tiers of government.
This is just as the Speaker urged the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly to deploy legislative instruments to tackle hunger and malnutrition across the country.
The Speaker stated this on Tuesday while addressing the House Committee on Food Security and Malnutrition as well as the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security in his office in Abuja.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Musa Krishi quoted Mr Abbas as saying, “Nigeria’s problem is largely, in a way, food insecurity and whatever we can do as parliamentarians to ease the burden on the people when it comes to hunger and malnutrition, we will be doing a very great service to this country. I urge you to please maintain the tempo. Ensure that you continue to increase the level of your activities until we get to that Promised Land.”
Abbas said it is gratifying to hear that an initiative of the House, “Which came on board for the first time in the history of the parliament,” is really making such kind of impact.
He added that “The committee is no longer a baby of the House of Representatives; it has become the baby of Nigeria as a whole, embraced by all the 36 Speakers (of the State Houses of Assembly) who are also making efforts to see that they can take this to all the local government areas.
“I think this is one of the few things that we created in the 10th House that will forever linger in my mind for being very useful to the country. I can attribute that success and the benefits to the chairman of the committee whose passion and commitment are driving this process.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Chinedu Okafor stated that the conversations around food security “Cannot start and end in Abuja,” stressing that his committee has taken the campaign against food insecurity and malnutrition to the sub-national levels.
Okafor recalled his meeting with the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly and Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Adebo Ogundoyin, which led to organisation of a retreat in Owerri, Imo State, where it was resolved that committees on food security and nutrition be set up at the state parliaments and federal laws be domesticated at the state level.
Okafor also recalled that chairmen and clerks of the newly created committees had a conference in Abuja, which birthed the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security.
He further hinted that the network is billed to meet with the Vice-President, Senator Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday on the subject matter of food insecurity.