Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, a former militant commander and commander of the disbanded Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), has been awarded a multimillion dollar pipeline monitoring contract extension by the Federal Government.
According to information obtained, the agreement with Tompolo was signed by the government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited in order to stop illicit bunkering, illegal refining, and other types of oil theft in the Niger Delta.
The contract, according to a close friend of Tompolo who spoke anonymously to Nation newspaper, was worth more than N4 billion each month.
However, as of the time of publication, neither the cost nor the specifics of the contract could be formally confirmed.
According to the source, other monitoring contracts, contractors, and their actions in the entire Niger Delta will be monitored and overseen by the former MEND commander, who is renowned for his tremendous credibility.
He said that Tompolo had performed a similar function when Diezani Alison-Madueke served as the minister of petroleum during the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
"Only after reviewing it, did the government reinstate his prior contract.
"Before his contract was terminated, the measures he implemented addressed illicit bunkering and increased the production quota to more than two million barrels per day.
"However, the new administration cancelled the agreement, made him a wanted man, and later cleared him of all charges.
Since the nation is already losing more than 500,000 barrels per day to illegal bunkering, "they have realised the need to bring him back," he said.
The source claimed that certain top NNPC officials, including Group Executive Director, Upstream, Adokiye Tombomelye, and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, mediated the new agreement.
He claimed that as a newly profitable venture, NNPC was keen to stop any illicit activities that were negatively impacting its operations and causing it to operate at a loss each month.
The source claimed that on Wednesday, Tompolo had a significant stakeholders' gathering at his Oporoza country residence in the Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State.
He said that a sizable number of Niger Delta stakeholders, particularly from Bayelsa State, attended the conference. He said that more than 5000 people were present.
The former presidents of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, Udengs Eradiri, and Eric Omare, priests of the Ijaw religious group Egbesu, led by Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei, leaders of all youth organisations in the Niger Delta, and leaders of notorious cult organisations in the area were among those he mentioned as being present at the meeting.
Former MEND unit commanders such Eris Paul, also known as General Oguboss, Pius Wareyal, also known as General Pius, Joshua Macaiver, Pastor Reuben Wilson, Young Shall Grow, and all the second phase "generals," according to him, were notable attendees.
He said: "Tompolo invited the youth leaders from all the other cults in the United States to the meeting and brought back all his former commanders in MEND. There were many people there.
Udengs Eradiri, a former IYC president, acknowledged his attendance at the meeting and hailed the new setup as a positive step forward.
Eradiri praised the Federal Government for involving local people in the defence of pipelines that pass through their territories.
"I am confident that this new agreement will be successful because Tompolo has the connections and reputation to serve as a conduit between the public and the government.
The similar arrangement allowed for a rise in oil output up to almost two million barrels per day during the previous government of President Goodluck Jonathan. This time, it will succeed, he assured.
Eric Omare, a former IYC president and spokesman, claimed that the Federal Government enlarged the scope of Tompolo after reviewing a comparable arrangement that was in place under Jonathan.
He claimed that using a community-based strategy was still the best way to stop illegitimate oil refining and bunkering in the area.
Omare stated: "A community-based strategy is what many of us have been urging because Tompolo is unable to deal with outsiders.
"He will collaborate with members of the community, as evidenced by his discussions with several of the stakeholders.
"Fifty percent of the issue is resolved once community stakeholders realise that unlawful bunkering is not in our best interests due to its negative environmental effects. It's also important to address the related economic problems.
"The scope was not as broad in Jonathan's time as it is now. He was the one that showed up and completed the task out of all the others employed at the time.
Maybe those in charge have taken notice of that and decided to give him more responsibility to manage.
Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei, an Egbesu Priest, verified the agreement and claimed that some illegal bunkering operators had already consulted Tompolo about giving up their illegality.
This arrangement will work, he assured. It has in the past, and it will undoubtedly do so again. Because there were no trustworthy individuals who could act as a middleman between the people and the government, illicit bunkering persisted for such a long time.
"However, Tompolo is now bridging that gap. Those who are operating illegal bunkering are now coming out to surrender as I speak to you. They are also talking about what is ahead for them.
"We think that more people will come forward in the days to come, and the problem of oil theft will be addressed.
Although Tompolo won't completely eradicate it, he will succeed in doing so by 95%.