It is no more news that there are conspiracies of thoughts and actions against the success and achievements of the Tantita Security Services Nig Ltd TSSNL in the theatre of war against illicit business in large scale oil theft in the creeks of the Niger Delta region particularly the Western axis of the Nigerian water ways being managed by the private secuirty firm owned by Chief Government Ekpemukpolo a.k.a Tomopolo.
Although, there’s no gainsaying the fact that success attracts envy and jealousy which ordinarily should not amount to sabotage and hatred for a progressive man rather, success should breed healthy competition and rivalry in most cases in order to promote healthy relationship among contemporaries.
The achievements since inception of the TSSNL in the security surveillance of the oil facilities in the Delta region, it appears the TSSNL stepped on toes of those we know to be wheelers and dealers in oil theft whose businesses are currently nosediving into the abyss due to the fact that Tompolo’s firm is unrelenting on tying the noose on the criminal enterprise of the rogues and they can no longer pretend about it. We have seen them lament, set booby traps by way of suggesting to the government what and what not to do in the business of securing the pipelines, how to expand the scope to accommodate oil thieves in the security networks.
They suggest that the noose be loosen a little bit for their trade in crimes to breathe a little because TSSNL won’t allow them a breathing space.
The above analysis explains the reunion among a trio of strange bed fellows who converged recently to find their lost voice in a bid to undo that which the federal government has done by way of ambushing the contract awarded years ago to TSSNL with proven record of achievements.
The economic saboteurs who are losers at the polls and in courts now have found occupation in their harmful and self-serving call for the state governmrnt to be allowed into decision of who, when and how the pipeline security surveillance contract is awarded.
They are hungry and starving, they are bereft of slush funds, and in their corrupt mind, the TSSNL contract must be thwarted rather than join forces to make the cause more progressive for their regional brother who is saddled with the national assignment of protecting our waterways from oil thieves.
The Mayor of Urhoboland and notable ex-militant leader in the Niger Delta region noted with keen interest and suspicion of a badbellied moves by those he described as self-styled leaders of Itsekiri who recently paid a visit to Bibopere Ajube in Ese-Odo local government area of Ondo state claiming solidarity and commitment to fostering peace in the region.
Akpodoro noted that there were more to the meeting than meets the eyes saying that Michael Diden, a.k.a Ejele is just rising from the ashes of 2023 electoral failure to grandstand and take the usual position of usurping the system.
The “bandwagon of mischief makers in the region’ accoridng Mayor Eshanakpe at what he described as anti Tomopolo brainstorming session were: Godfrey Erewa, Emasan Mbiake, Solomon Alewinakwi, Zino Onaemo, Victor Egbo Oleemena, Matthew Udenwenkewe, and Francis Ariyo.
Following the meeting, Mayor Akpodoro argued that, it was a reunion of mischief makers whom he noted are wont to cause sabotage and thwart the success of TSSNL adding that, they overrated themselves dillussionally thinking they could influence government policies by making “unreasonable calls on the FG.”
The Mayor took a swipe at the person of Mr Diden who he said was in the state House of Asembly at a time and could not count on a single sponsored bill by him. His stay in the Delta State House of Assembly was abyssmal saying at another time, the self acclaimed clergy was on the board Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission, DESOPADEC without a history of additional value to that developmental agency.
Ajube, the Mayor who doubles as the National President of the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A, said, has always been in the forefront of attempts to undermine the person and character of Chief Tomopolo and all he represents who he noted made ‘Shoot at sight’ whoever he is today.
“I recall vividly that during the struggle for the emancipation of our region and people, Ajube was a boat washer and an errad boy to the Big Heart called Tompolo until the grandmaster (Tompolo) thrusted him up in camp using Camp 5 as his launching pad.
“When at the twilight of the struggle for the region, Chief Tomopolo exiled himself and while in exile, instructed his associates to support Ajube with over 15 million dollar surveillance contract to enable him eke out a living. This, he got which emboldened him to see himself as being powerful. An indigin of Arogbo, Ondo state with zero oil and gas facilities, if not mischief purpose, what would warrant an Ejele to go that far pledging loyalty and solidarity to Tomopolo’s boy? They are blinded by their inordinate desire to undo a man whom God has blessed. What a wasted effort demonstrated by political half-bakes who have no grip of their immediate constituencies.
Akpodoro noted with disdain that Diden represented himself and not Itsekiri at the anti Tomopolo meeting, emphasiding that the entire Niger Delta region is fully behind the progress being made by the TSSNL in its efforts at exterminating oil thieves from the Western axis of the Delta.
The Mayor stated that upon being awarded the contract for the surveillance of the pipelines, TSSNL has not left anyone in doubt about its capacity demonstrated in the its success leaving trails of agonies in the world of oil thieves both locally and internationally, including those he said were notable accomplices of oil thieves.
Oil theft and sundry criminalities in the oil industry in the country, the Gbaregolor Ughelli South Local Government Area-born Mayor said was a retirement home for fallen politicians who could no longer meet up the political pace and this he said was the reason for the Arogbo meeting.
However, the President of the Agimor Group noted that no amount of conspiracies could remove from the steady progress being made by the TSSNL not even “their Arogbo meeting.”
TSSNL is a new phenomenon in the security of oil industry in Africa and this fact, the Mayor noted is contained in the support from Nigerians of goodwill including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, the governor of Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri and the entire broad spectrum of prominent sons and daughters of Niger Delta region.
Nigerians outside the region, Akpodoro noted, in their large numbers are overwhelmingly in support of the success-driven operations of the TSSNL including members of NASS, the Emirs and the presidency saying, ” the self-serving call by Diden and his co-travellers is insignificant to the yearnings of well meaning Nigerians.
He said the state governments already have enough issues in their hands saying it is needless for a bunch of political jobbers to advocate ceding the powers to award surveillance contract to the state.
Diden and his likes should look elsewhere because the award of such sensitive contract by the FG takes a lot of profiling and certainly the characters making such calls suffer huge reputational injuries to the extent that they can never pass through the eye of the security needle.”
Educating Ajube’s visitors, Akpodoro noted that the Nigerian oil industry is directly within the purview of the FG who he noted is not ready to abdicate its responsibility to the state in that regard as he called on Mr Didien to go back into his world of “tithe and offering” to eke out a living for himself.
The Mayor noted that the most important thing should be to advocate upward review of the TSSNL contract sum and open up the operational areas of the security firms adding that, “security is a serious business that should not be left in the hands of moral delinquents and social misfits who are desperate for empowerment against the Nigerian state.
He said the FG should allow TSSNL subsume other unknown firms in the surveillance contract awards to lead the way for a well secured petroleum industry. Since taken over the security of the pipelines, we know TSSNL while others relapsed into slumber. It is trite to allow the firm to swallow others in its underbelly for the success to be rapid and impactful on national wellbeing.”
Apparently, the Mayor noted that the august visit to the ‘anti Tompolo’ group will achieve nothing other than shame adding that Nigerians have suddenly woken up to realise that the TSSL is a “national prayer answered” in the security of the country’s oil wealth.
He called on the FG through the Group Chief Executive Officer, CGEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, to keep saboteurs at arms length. Having lost out within political space, they are now grouping to infiltrate the source of Nigeria’s oil wealth.
