Rumblings in the creeks as Buhari stops payment to Tompolo and co

Rumblings in the creeks as Buhari stops payment to Tompolo and co

General Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to stop payments to Global West Vessel Specialists Nigeria Limited (GWVSNL) for providing security on the nation’s waterways.

Ships and Ports Daily quoted a source at the Federal Ministry of Transport who authoritatively confirmed that the payment to GWVSNL,  owned by a former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpomupolo (Tompolo), was stopped in June.

The source also said the permanent secretary of the ministry, Mohammed Bashir, has directed the director general of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, not to make further payments.

Former president Goodluck Jonathan awarded the contract through the regulatory body NIMASA in 2011. The contract was for Tompolo’s men to protect the Nigeria’s maritime areas.

Buhari has been under pressure from  the Northern Oligarchy to cancel the contract. Ahmed Tijani Ramalan, board chairman of NIMASA, alleged thatTompolo’s company was paid N1.5billion monthly by NIMASA to execute the contract. Tijani therefore opined for the cancellation of the contract. According to him cancelling the contract would have be a good move since it has not prevented crude oil theft recorded to be now over 400,000 barrels daily. 

Rumblings in the creeks as Buhari stops payment to Tompolo and co

“Over 400, 000 barrels of crude oil are being stolen daily from our shores under President Jonathan; yet we had a government that has the Navy, the Army and the Air Force, and the government of Jonathan decides to hand over the security of our maritime waters to Tompolo at a very exorbitant amount of money.

“And if Buhari does not do so, we will be the first to start attacking him. There is no basis to give that kind of billion naira job to ex-militants,” he insisted.

Tomopolo has however, refuted the claim that he was receiving N1.5 billion naira monthly from NIMASA.