.

By Charles Kumolu

Amid divergent reactions to the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to a former Niger Delta freedom fighter, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, rights activist, Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor, has said the level of oil theft in the region requires the collective efforts of the armed forces, especially the Nigerian Navy and not a single individual or entity.

She also said the job alone cannot secure oil pipelines, saying government should address conditions that make pipeline vandalism thrive.

In its efforts at curbing crude oil theft, Federal Government recently awarded a pipeline surveillance contract toTompolo. The deal, which was reported to have been brokered by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, was said to be in the region of N4billion monthly.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, Limited, Mele Kyari, had in April, disclosed that  Nigeria lost $4 billion to oil theft in 2021. He added that the country already lost $1.5 billion so far in 2022 as a result of pipeline vandalism. The situation informed government’s decision to end crude oil theft through the award of a surveillance contract to Tompolo.

But the development is already attracting opposition from some northern and Niger Delta groups, who faulted government for awarding the contract to an individual.

However, Lori-Ogbebor, who noted that finding a solution to economic sabotage isn’t a bad thing to do, said only combined efforts of security operatives can end high-scale oil theft in the zone.

She said: “Federal Government should not give the contract to one person and expect the person to pacify the entire Niger Delta. When we had the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC, we had Prof Eric Opia, who left because of the problem of accountability. We also had other leaders from there that had the problem of accountability.

It is obvious that government doesn’t want to truly address issues in the region. Since oil is the only product government has, it should take the maintenance of the region where the product is derived seriously.   

“What government does is to always give individuals appointments. And these persons end up embezzling the funds meant for the Niger Delta. 

Government appoints these individuals hoping the persons would be able to pacify the region. But that hasn’t been the case. Government has not learned its lesson that it must properly address issues in the region and not empower individuals. Fixing issues in the region is not just about making funds available for one person. If the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and Niger Delta Ministry were doing their job, we may not have the kind of issues we have in the Niger Delta today. What was given to Tompolo is what the boys are opposing now.

 You cannot hold Tompolo or the boys who called themselves Creek Men responsible for the big ships that engage in oil theft in the Niger Delta.

Securing the creeks should be the job of the Navy and the entire security agencies. I am wondering why there is so much oil theft on the high sea when we have security agents securing the area. So, to ask one person to be responsible for pipeline security in the region, may not be the right decision. It is government that should be responsible for securing our lives and property and not one individual. 

“So, federal government should take the blame for the oil theft in the region because they are not policing the system. I hope they are seeing the result of this one, contract given to Tompolo. The boys have said they will never allow an Ijaw man to deceive them like the colonial masters and others in the past. You can see that it is already breeding bad blood in the system. This is what I have been preaching. 

“The Niger Delta masterplan should be implemented. There is a master plan. If the plan is implemented everybody will be happy. Sadly, government just gives funds to individuals whenever there is a problem and that doesn’t address the issues at stake. The Niger Delta needs attention and until real attention is given, there won’t be peace. Every day, people of the Niger Delta get wiser. The days are gone when people hear about government and become terrified. No one does that now.

The people now know that funds for the region are stolen by those appointed to address issues in the region. I have been saying that only indigenes of Niger Delta can address the issues there. That is what those boys opposing Tompolo are saying now.

Ankio Briggs even said those grumbling that they shouldn’t give money to Tompolo do not have a say in what happens in the Niger Delta. She said they should go to Zamfara and say that about the mining activities going on there and not the Niger Delta. And I agree with her that Niger Delta people should be used to solve Niger Delta problems, but there must be accountability.’’