PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the
immediate termination of the coastal and pipeline
protection contract awarded to former Niger Delta
militant leader Government Ekpomupolo alias
Tompolo by President Goodluck Jonathan.
In 2011, President Jonathan awarded a contract
to provide security along Nigeria's maritime
borders to Global West Vessel Specialists Nigeria,
a company owned by Tompolo. Seen as a
political gesture, President Buhari has instructed
the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (Nimasa) to discontinue payments for the
provision of platforms for security.
With the revocation of the contract, money paid
to the private firm will now be channelled to the
Nigerian Navy and marine police to secure the
nation’s waterways. According to a source at the
Federal Ministry of Transport, the $103m (N21bn)
maritime security contract was approved by
former President Jonathan and awarded by
Nimasa in 2011, shortly after Patrick
Akpobolokemi, was appointed to head the agency.
It is believed that payments have been stopped
since June, with Mohammed Bashir, the
permanent secretary in the transport ministry
directing Mr Akpobolokemi to halt payments for
the controversial maritime security contract until
further notice. Others who benefitted from similar
contracts include Mujaheedin Asari-Dokubo and
Chief Bipobiri Ajube, Alias General Shoot-At-Sight,
as well as Odua People's Congress founder Dr
Frederick Fasheun and the leader of its other
faction Otunba Gani Adams.
According to the transport ministry source: “It is
difficult to believe that former President Goodluck
Jonathan would hand out the security of the
nation’s entire maritime domain to his kinsman
under the guise of public-private partnership. It
was certain that such a contract would not stand
the test of time and like the pipeline security
contracts awarded by the same regime, its time is
over.” However, former senior special assistant
to the president on maritime, Leke Oyewole,
advised the federal government not to go back to
the old ways when Nimasa was handling water
security.
He noted that ever since Tompolo's company was
put in charge of providing platforms for security
on the nation’s waters, there had been an
improvement.
Last month, pioneer Nimasa chairman Alhaji
Tijjani Ramalan, alleged that Tompolo's company
was paid N1.5bn monthly to execute the contract.
He lamented that despite the huge payment, the
country is still losing more than 400,000 barrels
of crude oil daily to oil thieves.
Culled From Nigerian Watch.
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