The Senate has approved the Federal Government’s N48 billion contract with Government Ekpemupolo, often known as Tompolo, for the surveillance of oil pipelines.
The former insurgent leader from the Niger Delta now oversees the defence of oil pipelines in the states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers.
The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari hired Tompolo in August as a result of rising oil theft in the South-South.
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources reached an agreement to avoid the country from losing 500,000 barrels of oil daily.
The Red Chamber’s approval was confirmed on Tuesday by Senator Albert Akpan, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream).
After delivering the findings of the Senate ad hoc committee on oil lifting and theft, the senator met with newsmen in Abuja.
Insofar as the contract was producing the required objectives, according to Bassey, using non-state actors to safeguard oil pipelines was acceptable.
NAN reported him as stating, “There are formal and informal means to resolve the situation.”
“If the contract was properly negotiated and handled, we have no objections, and if it produces the desired results, I don’t think there is anything improper about it.”
