A former Niger Delta freedom fighter, Chief Reuben Wilson, has mobilised his colleagues and all progressive minded people in the region to in the fight against the decentralisation of the pipelines security contract, even as he has described those promoting the decentralization of the contract as enemies of progress.
Wilson, in declaring total support for Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a firm belonging to High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, however said it was better for Niger Delta people to aim at securing oil blocs instead of security of pipelines owned by outsiders.
The Niger Delta rights crusader who is also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress APC in Bayelsa State, said at a meeting of the coalition of First Phase Ex-Militant leaders in Port Harcourt.
Addressing journalists, Wilson said: “We are in agreement that Mr. President will get 100 per cent votes in the South South region and the Niger Delta.
“We the people of the Niger Delta should go and look for how to have oil block”s and not pipeline security jobs. We cannot be little ourselves to drag and fight for mere pipeline security contract while people up there are making billions, trillions from our region.
“I am of age to have even 10, 15, 20 oil blocs in the Niger Delta region, yes. I am working for a company, the chairman is 46 years but he has five oil wells in Akwa Ibom State, two in Ojimodu, Delta State, why can’t we go and look for an oil bloc than fighting and killing ourselves because of mere pipeline security contract.”
He emphasized that, “for me, pipeline security contract is the least that anybody from Niger Delta would go for. Fine, Tantita went for it, they bidded(sic), a lot of company’s bidded(sic) and Tantita succeeded in having it, let’s allow them do it because we have a lot of sub-contractors across the region.
“In Edo State we have contractors, Ondo State- we have contractors, Delta State we have sub contractors, we have a lot of them in Bayelsa, Rivers State same, Akwa Ibom State we have subcontractors, everywhere, Imo State we have contractors, everywhere, so please, please. This is a very great advise to the Niger Delta people, if you love this region, if we love ourselves, we should allow Tantita to carry out their perfect and wonderful job that they have been doing because security contract as I said is one of the least, people should wake up, people of Niger Delta region should wake up.
“I see myself as someone that is well equipped enough to have an oil bloc and not security contract. If you are coming out openly to fight Tompolo because of this surveillance contract that means we see you as an enemy of progress because anybody that doesn’t count himself as enemy of progress will not go and fight your fellow Ijaw person who is already doing the job and doing it perfectly.”
Wilson further commended the Amanyanabo of Torusarama Piri, in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, Alhaji Asari Dokubo and the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, High Chief Ateke Tom.
His words: “I am happy that our own king Alhaji Asari, our own King Ateke Tom are all behind Tantita, yes, because I am here supervising the activities in Rivers State. I know, we have been working hand to hand, all our efforts in one page. People from Okrika, Kalabari, all of us, we are working connectively. Most times, if we are going out we call each other and we go out for operations together and that is why we are succeeding.”
On his last words, he charged the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, “keep on building that trust with Tompolo, keep on building trust with Tantita, with Tantita, oil theft will be zero per cent in the Niger Delta region.”
Meanwhile, more stakeholders have continued to issue stern warning against calls to decentralize pipeline surveillance, describing such moves as a threat to national economic stability.
According to them, breaking the surveillance structure into smaller, decentralized units would inevitably lead to intelligence gaps, weakening the unified network that currently tracks oil thieves across state lines.
They insisted that pipeline protection remained a matter of national security rather than a reward system for political associates.
