Kaduna: Youths Kick Against Award Of Pipeline Surveillance Contract to Tompolo
The Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups (AAYG), a Coalition of 225 Youth Groups in the North that operates at home and in the diaspora, has expressed dismay over the award of a pipeline surveillance contract to Mr.Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo.
The youth group said it was a rude shock that the former leader of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, would be awarded such a multi-million dollar contract.
Comrade Victor Duniya, Spokesman of AAYG, said in a statement that “our group gathered that the said contract is meant to end illegal bunkering, illegal refining and other forms of oil theft in the Niger Delta.”
The group said it was particularly concerned that in the early days of President Buhari’s administration, there was the uncontrolled bombing of oil facilities in the Niger Delta, which contributed in so small measure to dragging Nigeria into recession.
The group recalled that a national daily attributed the award of the contract to the roles allegedly played by some major stakeholders in the oil sector.
“Our group sees the awarded contract as an empowerment scheme for Niger Delta youths and nothing more. This is in addition to the billions of Naira that are being spent on the failed Amnesty Program that is exclusively reserved for them. This is against the spirit and letters of our constitution that advocates for the federal character in all government dealings,” they said.
“From the above background, We, therefore, make the following demands:That the Niger Delta youths should choose either the Tompolo contract or the Presidential Amnesty Program. As we can’t continue to fold our arms and watch the government spend her scarce resources on few …elements.”
The group urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sack those promoting ethnic and regional interest over National interest, and those who use their office to reward criminality and treasonable tendencies instead of patriotism.
The group observed that each region in the country is faced with its peculiar challenges, hence, the NNPC Limited and the Federal Government should vote out 4 billion Naira monthly, for Youths of the 5 other geopolitical Zones that are not beneficiaries of the NNPC Limited gift to Niger Delta Youths.
“That we will be forced to take both physical protest and legal actions if the NNPC Limited and the Federal Government fail to revoke the awarded Contract to Tompolo’s firm in the next Seven days,’ they said.
