By Ovie Okpare
The Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom in Delta State, His Majesty, King Monday Obukohwo Whiskey Ph.D, Udurhie I, has called on the Federal Government of President Bola Tinubu to honour Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo with a national award over his fight against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
Tonpolo is the chairman of Tantita Security Services Limited contracted by the Federal Government to secure crude oil pipelines and installations in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The monarch noted that leading the battle against crude oil theft and their cabals, is one of the deadliest risk anyone can patriotically take for the progress and good his country considering how influential the oil thieves are.
Ovie of Idjerhe disclosed this on Sunday while addressing newsmen at his palace in Otorho-Idjerhe (Jesse town) in Delta State, stressing that Tompolo’s patriotic fight has brought about increased oil and gas production in the country.
The royal father, who holds a Ph.D in Mass Communication, called on President Tinubu and Nigerians to commend Tompolo for “uncompromisingly leading the fight against” against those stealing the nation’s wealth.
Udurhie 1 said that the attainment of 1.8million barrel per day recently declared by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) was due to the efforts of Tompolo and Tantita’s personnel manning the creeks of the region.
The Idjerhe traditional ruler said, “Tompolo needs commendation. In fact, he needs a National award. Nothing stops the President from inviting him to Abuja and confers on him a National award, because he has done what Napoleon could not do.
“First and foremost, let me especially congratulate the staffs and management of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited led by his leader, High Chief (Dr.) Government Ekpemupolo for the battle against oil theft.
“From available facts, it is now very clear that only the section being handled by Tompolo and his Tantita group that are performing exceedingly well. So we can to say that Tompolo is not only protecting national installation, but that Tompolo has gone extra mile to take the highest risk that any Nigerian man will take.
“The situation today is that Tompolo is singlehandedly fighting the oil cabals, the oil cabal that were siphoning the country oil. And if we look at it very critically, there are three major things that Tompolo’s Tantita is achieving today.
“One, the firm is working very hard to increase oil and gas production output to the Nigerian government. Before this job was given to Tantita, Nigerian production was less than 1m barrel per day, and to bring on board extra 800,000 barrels on board, and still working hard to get it to 2 million barrel per day.
“There are serious agencies saddled with the responsibility of protecting these installations. What did they do? They rather conspired with the oil thieves, and they started doing it as business.”
Ovie of Idjerhe also further called on the Federal Government to ensure regular funding of Tantita security to enable it sustained and improve on the fight against oil theft so as to meet Nigeria’s OPEC quota.
“Secondly, Tompolo is helping to restore our environment that has been criminally degraded from its natural state that today is supporting aquatic life and the growth of this environment, especially cleaner water.
“If you are used to this area before Tantita was given this job, you barely can see the water content, because everything is covered in black oil.
“But today, that the aquatic lives are returning to their natural habitat is as a result of the hard work of an individual. An individual took it upon himself. Other people were given the same job. What have they done?
“Thirdly, this Tantita Security Project is creating very serious employment opportunity to youths in the entire Niger Delta area and is exposing our youth to the deployment of high tech facilities, because they are not using manual technology.
“I want to seriously appeal to the federal government to increase and expand this project. Because if you look critically, it is only the areas where Tantita is operating that you have this very laudable achievement.
“So there is no reason why I should not advocate for the expansion of the project so that we can get more able bodied youth from the streets, they need to work. The federal government should, as a matter of urgency, begin to fund Tantita very regularly, because, you know, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
“Now that Tompolo has used his native sagacity to bring together most dreaded youths in the region to be part of this program, there is no reason why salaries should not be regular.
“Increase the workforce, regularize the workers’ salaries, the security contract has enhanced oil production and sustained environmental protection of the Niger Delta people, Tompolo deserve a national award for the feat he has achieved so far”, the revered Idjerhe monarch added.
