Tompolo’s contract
Posted By: Editorialon: July 17, 2015In: No Comments Print Email

• Another good riddance to bad rubbish!

Expectedly, the Federal Government has terminated the $103m (about N21billion) maritime security contract awarded by the Goodluck Jonathan administration to Global West Vessel Specialists Nigeria Limited (GWVSNL) believed to be owned by former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpomupolo a.k.a. Tompolo. The Presidency, according to report, had ordered the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to discontinue payment for the provision of platforms for security of the nation’s waterways and this had stopped since last month. The contract was awarded by NIMASA in 2011.

This is the second such unconscionable contract awarded by the Jonathan administration to be terminated by the Muhammadu Buhari government. The first was the pipeline protection contracts awarded to the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and Niger Delta militia group which was also stopped last month, with the Federal Government giving a marching order to the Nigerian Army and Navy to take over protection of the pipeline.

Nigerians had always opposed the outsourcing of the security of these vital national assets to the militants and ethnic militias. Unfortunately, for reasons best known to it, the Jonathan administration which seemed bent on professionalising militancy, insisted on going ahead with the contracts.

Thus, as those given the contracts were smiling to the banks, the security agencies that have the constitutional mandate to secure these assets were starved of funds. This was evident in the several setbacks the military suffered in the fight against Boko Haram fighters, as the country had to look for help from outside to fight the insurgents.

Although the former president did not hide his proclivity for pandering to parochial interests in his actions and utterances, not a few persons wondered how this could be taken to such ridiculous lows, whereby the president would surrender the security of the country’s maritime domain to his kinsman when there are government security agencies that have the constitutional role to perform such functions? If it was a public-private partnership (PPP) as the Jonathan government called it, it must have been a warped one at that.

Apart from being a serious indictment of our security agencies, the contract awards were also a national disgrace; they exposed the nation to ridicule because there is no such paradigm anywhere in the civilised world. To worsen matters, the country did not get value for the money it paid to secure the national assets as over 400,000 barrels of crude oil were being stolen daily from our shores under President Jonathan. That this persisted for years made many people to suspect that it was the same people who were given the job of maritime security that were colluding with the international shipping companies to steal the country’s oil.

It is against this background that we commend the Buhari administration for terminating these so-called contracts which represented nothing but “job for the boys” and a veritable avenue to siphon public funds. Any rational Nigerian knew that such contracts could only have been awarded by an administration like Dr Jonathan’s, and that the moment the government was voted out, it was a matter of time for the contract to be terminated.

However, with the maritime security contract now terminated, the government should channel the money paid to the private firm to strengthen the Navy and marine police whose responsibility it is to secure the nation’s waterways. Where more resources are required for these agencies to perform, the government should not hesitate to provide them. If after getting the necessary requirements the security agencies still cannot perform, then it becomes a matter to be handled administratively. The solution does not lie in funding rag-tag militants and ethnic militias to handle such sensitive duties.

http://thenationonlineng.net/tompolos-contract/

anybody who is not please with the militant contract canclellation should employ them as their security men

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DaBullIT:
I thought he would go bersek and raid the pipelines for the cancellation of the contract

Buhari...... Driving sense into touts Since May 29 th 2015

The fear of Buhari is the beginning of Humility.