The Mayor of Urhoboland and Head of the Association of Urhobo Mayoral Family Crown (AUMFC), Eshanekpe Israel, popularly known as Akpodoro, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bayo Ojulari, to order.
Akpodoro accused the NNPCL boss of attempting to interfere with the oil pipelines surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), managed by High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo, also known as Tompolo. He alleged that Ojulari’s actions were capable of destabilizing the Niger Delta region and undermining the gains made through the contract.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the former militant leader said the surveillance contract has created employment and stability for thousands of youths in the Niger Delta, drastically reducing oil theft. He warned that any attempt to tamper with it would be “aggressively resisted.”
According to Akpodoro, Ojulari assumed office with a “mindset to distort the existing peace in the region,” and his approach could endanger both national security and the economic well-being of the country.
The Mayor further alleged that Ojulari’s leadership style is damaging President Tinubu’s reputation in the region, raising suspicions that he might be working against the President’s 2027 re-election bid. He pointed to what he described as the “recklessness and highhandedness” of Ojulari, including the reported sack of over 4,000 NNPCL workers since his appointment.
“From every indication, Ojulari seems to have a mission to sabotage this administration. He must be reminded that TSSNL remains the flagship of oil infrastructure security in our waterways. The company has successfully driven oil thieves out of the creeks and restored confidence in Nigeria’s oil sector. Any attempt to undermine this progress is unacceptable,” Akpodoro declared.
He also alleged that Ojulari was marginalizing Niger Delta leaders within NNPCL, citing the alleged victimization of Roland Ewubare, the company’s Chief Operating Officer. “Instead of witch-hunting our sons, Ojulari should focus on proper administration and allow peace to reign,” he added.
Tracing the history of the contract, Akpodoro recalled that when multiple contractors initially handled oil surveillance—including the late Captain Hosa—the result was heightened oil theft and reduced national output.
This, he said, prompted the former NNPCL management under Mele Kyari to award the contract to TSSNL, which, under the guidance of technocrats like Chief Keston Pondi, introduced effective strategies that have since become a model for oil infrastructure security in sub-Saharan Africa.
Calling for urgent presidential intervention, Akpodoro warned: “Enemies of Nigeria appear to have found an ally in Ojulari. Mr. President should act fast before the progress achieved is eroded. Ojulari should allow peace to reign in the Niger Delta.”
