Federal Government, Tompolo, Crude Oil Theft and Wasted 7.5 Years

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Lack of vision and purposeful leadership in Nigeria has been responsible for the crisis being faced by the oil and gas industry, some industry stakeholders have said.

They blamed the APC-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the criminality in the industry, as they alleged that from the onset of this administration it sees anyone that is not a member of its party as a criminal or corrupt and so must be hunted down.

According to them, Instead of sitting down and take a critical assessment of situations in the industry so that it can provide actionable and intelligent solutions to the myriads of problems, especially as it concerns crude oil production and criminality, no, it went after the jugulars of perceived enemies of its party when it assumed office. It needed to subjugate everybody so that its administration can run smoothly.

Today, some of the so-called corrupt people are now the ones the government has turned to with mouth-watering contracts to help stem the tide of crude oil theft.

On the assumption of this government in 2015, Tompolo was considered one of Nigeria’s most wanted persons.

“But today, the federal government, out of desperation, has hired Tompolo on a billion naira contract to help secure the oil and gas pipelines. This may or may not be a big deal. Tompolo may be qualified to do the job.

“But the real issue is how the government moved from declaring Tompolo wanted for criminal actions to begging him with billion naira contracts to do what Jonathan administration hired him to do. After 7 years and after criminalization of everything Jonathan did, Buhari comes back to approve what he castigated. It is a tragedy that Tinubu, Ameachi, El Rufai, Atiku and others imposed on us. If they had not allowed the contract today we would not be the only country, apart from Venezuela, that cannot meet its export quota in midst of high oil prices,” one industry operator said.

“It would have been better that Buhari had allowed Jonathan to continue with his work because the last 7 years has been retardation in every aspect. Buhari had brought nothing new or better than what Jonathan was doing in every sector. Even the most basic errors of Jonathan administration have been repeated in greater measures, says another.

Tompolo epitomizes the vengeful clueless of the Buhari administration. He denounced GEJ and his team for all they did and has now come back to embrace all they did.

What a wasted 7.5 years.

A Lagos Division of the Federal High Court had dismissed all the 40 counts bordering on alleged N34 billion fraud filed by the Federal Government against Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, a company linked to a former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

Ekpemupolo was charged alongside a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpolokemi; Kime Engozu; Rex Elem; Gregory Mbonu; and Warredi Enisuo

He was a prominent figure in the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), a coalition of armed rebel groups that kidnapped oil workers and attacked installations between 2006 and 2009. The creeks of the Niger Delta were occupied by rebels with machine-gun equipped speedboats and were dangerous for law enforcement and oil workers alike. At the height of the militancy, rebels reduced Nigeria’s oil production by a quarter.

According to Nnamdi Obasi, Nigeria researcher for the International Crisis Group (ICG), Tompolo’s acceptance of a presidential amnesty program offered by the Nigerian government in 2009 was “highly significant, some would say decisive, in ending the violence at the time,” and that the former militant still commands a strong following in the Niger Delta region.

Why was he prosecuted?

Tompolo was charged with 14 counts of money laundering and theft spanning between 2012 and 2015. His case was pursued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is leading   President Muhammadu Buhari’s drive to recover billions of dollars lost to corruption.

Prosecutor Festus Keyamo told AFP that Tompolo was awarded contracts to “provide certain services” to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) but alleged that the agreements were used “as a front to steal money.”

Tompolo, however, denied being involved in corruption in an open letter to Buhari in which he claimed not to be affiliated to any of the companies listed by the EFCC in its arraignment.

Under the country’s amnesty program, which was launched in August 2009, some 30,000 former militants receive monthly subsidies of 65,000 naira ($326) and employment opportunities in an attempt to keep the tense peace in the region. The program expired at the end of 2015.

 

 

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