N48bn Contract: How Tompolo won hearts, minds, got Asari, Ateke, Dagogo, others’ support

Having tamed all political and militant oppositions, Government Ekpemupolo a.k.a. Tompolo can now hit the ground running with his N48bn pipeline surveillance contract the federal government awarded him weeks ago.

To his credit, Tompolo made a diplomatic decision with the huge slice of the national cake Oil Minister Timi Silva tossed to the former Niger Delta militant leader

In a meeting he had with in his hometown in Delta , with as many former militant leaders as he could mobilize, Tompolo said he understands what greed can do—and what it has been doing to Nigeria.

“If I want to work with few people, it will not go down with many people,” he said.

So he has planned to carry everybody along.

He admitted those doing illegal bunkering are doing so to survive because there is no other means to survive.

“But trying to survive with kpo-fire is even destroying our environment more than their benefits.”

Among those he has met so far are Farah Dagogo (former MEND leader), some chiefs from Bonny Kingdom; Chief Superintending Officer, Supreme Egbesu Order (SEO), Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei; Ateke Tom; and Asari Dokubo. Others are traditional rulers from Bayelsa.

Even those making videos and threatening to sabotage the contract have now calmed down.

According to Kemepadei, Tompolo is getting directly involved in the recruitment of community youths that would be securing pipelines in their area.  No middlemen or external security agents will be involved.

With all hands on deck, Tompolo declared that Saturday, Sunday and Monday, action to stop all the illegal activities in the Niger Delta region begins.

“We don’t have any other country than Nigeria,” he said.