The Federal Government has defended its award of a multi-million Naira pipeline protection contract to ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemukpolo aka Tompolo.
The defence was made by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the newly restructured Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mele Kyari on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at the 49th session of the state house briefing organised by the presidential communication team.
The Quest Times reports that the FG went back on its decision where it earlier cancelled the contract earlier awarded by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, following Tompolo’s earlier travails with the Buhari-led administration.
But due to rising crude oil theft, the FG saw it fit to renew the contract with the ex-leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
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The contract award caused uproar in certain parts of the country, with a Northern-based group, the Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, calling for the termination of the contract.
But in defence of the contract worth a reported N48 billion annually (N4b per month), Mele Kyari stated that Tompolo wasn’t unilaterally chosen, revealing that multiple private contractors were invited to bid for the pipeline protection project, with the winner emerging through a tender process.
He also stated that the FG wasn’t dealing directly with Tompolo, but a company in which the ex-warlord has interests.
“We need private contractors to man the right of way to these pipelines. So we put up a framework for contractors to come and bid and they were selected through a tender process. And we believe we made the right decision,” he said.