Ex-Agitators Rally Behind Tompolo, Urge Tinubu to Renew Tantita’s Contract

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Leaders of the First Phase Ex-agitators under the umbrella of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators’ Forum yesterday urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ignore calls to cancel pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita’s Security Services Limited (TSSNL) just as they declared their support for ex-leader, Chief Government Ekpemuplo alias, “Tompolo”.

The National President, General Aroni Oputu, flanked by other leaders at a press conference in Udu, Delta State, said attempts by some groups to push for the cancellation of the contract were politically motivated and aimed at undermining the stability recorded in the Niger Delta.

The forum, which represents frontline leaders from the nine oil-producing states, described critics of the arrangement as “conflict merchants” seeking to drag the region back to the era of pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering.

In the address, signed by representatives of the states – General Awe Akoke (Delta), Ayabowei Godgift (Bayelsa), Prince Dennis Ogbonna (Rivers), James Ukpong (AkwaIbom), Chief Godwin Ukori (Edo), Andrew Vocor (Imo) and Emmanuel Chibuike (Abia), the ex-freedom fighters described those against Tantita, chaired by High Chief Government Ekpemukplo a.k.a Tompolo, as “faceless individuals.”

They insisted the pipeline surveillance arrangement has helped reverse the decline in Nigeria’s oil production while creating employment opportunities for thousands of youths across the Niger Delta.

“This is not just a contract; it is a massive job creation engine. From Bayelsa to Akwa Ibom and other states of the Niger Delta region, thousands of our youths who were once lured by crime are now gainfully employed, living decent lives as protectors of our national assets,” the group stated.

According to the ex-agitators, the decision of President Bola Tinubu to sustain the contract has brought measurable improvements to oil production and investor confidence in the country’s petroleum sector.

The forum said: “We categorically state that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not make a mistake in sustaining this contract.

“Under the leadership of the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Limited, Chief Kestin Pondi, and the technical expertise of partners like Chief Mathew Tonlagha of Maton Engineering, we have witnessed a miracle in the creeks. Before Tantita, Nigeria’s oil production was in a freefall. But today, production is surging, investor confidence is restored, and the national treasury is breathing again.”

It claimed the attacks against Tantita were sponsored by opponents worried about the growing support for President Tinubu in the Niger Delta ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We are not blind. We know that these attacks are being sponsored by political enemies of Mr. President. They see Tompolo’s unwavering loyalty to the Tinubu administration and his ability to deliver peace as a threat to their 2027 ambitions.

“To these detractors, we say: ‘The Niger Delta is no longer a playground for your political gambling,” the leaders declared.

The group urged President Tinubu to disregard calls for the cancellation or reduction of the contract and instead, expand the scope of the surveillance arrangement.

“We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any call for the cancellation or reduction of the Tantita contract. We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ignore these ‘emergency patriots’ who disappear when the chips are down.”

It added: “We demand an expansion of the contract to further secure our waterways and provide more jobs for our people. High Chief Government Ekpemukplo is the right man, at the right time, for the right job.

“And he is the only person who can handle this job. No one can do it as well as he is doing it. If not for his intervention, the very pipelines that fuel this nation would have crumbled.”

The ex-agitators also passed a vote of confidence on the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Chief Dennis Otuaro, stating: “We also use this medium to pass a vote of implicit confidence in the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Chief Dennis Otuaro.

“As one of us who felt the pains of the struggle, he has transformed the office into a beacon of hope, graduating thousands of students and prioritising human capital development. We urge Mr. President to continue supporting his visionary leadership.”

Speaking on the sidelines, Aroni urged Niger Deltans to “come together and work as a team,” noting that Tompolo “our leader and father” has empowered so many boys.

National Secretary of the Forum, Andrew Vocor, stated that contrary to claims, Tantita has employed locals for the protection of pipelines stressing “You cannot go to Imo state and see Delta people doing jobs there, so if anybody says they are bringing strangers, there are no strangers in our various state.”

Senior Adviser to the group, Chief Kalaiti Jephthah, from Bayelsa State, emphasised the need for people of the region to speak in one voice and support Tantita.

“A good number of us may not be beneficiaries, but we believe this is something we must do to emancipate our region. There is so much that Tompolo has done, there is so much that Otuaro has done. There is no body that can do more than they have done.

“They do not tilt themselves to do things that are not benefitting to the Niger Delta. A good portion of our families who may not be among us are benefitting. As long as these benefits are spreading, peace is spreading and developments are coming to the Niger Delta,” he stated.

Another ex-agitator, Comrade Emmanuel Chibuike maintained that “subsidy is yielding results because there is Tantita,” and advised that for sustained peace, the federal government should continue to use Tantita to secure Nigeria’s critical assets.