President Buhari has reportedly directed the NIMASA to discontinue multi-billion naira payment to Niger Delta militant, Ekpomupolo, a.k.a Tompolo for the contract of securing the nation's waterways.
Ex-Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpomupolo, a.k.a Tompolo
A source at the Federal Ministry of Transport (FMOT), has disclosed to correspondents in Lagos that the presidency has ordered the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to discontinue payment for the provision of platforms for security of the nation’s waterways to Global West Vessel Specialists Nigeria Limited (GWVSNL).
The GWVSNL company is reportedly owned by former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpomupolo, a.k.a Tompolo and a $103 million (N21 billion) maritime security contract was approved by former President Jonathan and awarded by NIMASA to him in 2011, shortly after the DG of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, was appointed to head the agency.
According to The Telegraph, the reported payment had been put on hold since June, and the secretary of the FMOT, Mohammed Bashir, had directed Akpobolokemi to halt payments for the controversial maritime security contract until further notice because it was believed to have been influenced by Tompolo who is a close ally of the former President. The annonymous source said:
“It is difficult to believe that former President Goodluck Jonathan would hand out the security of the nation’s entire maritime domain to his kinsman under the guise of public-privatepartnership (PPP).
It was certain that such a contract would not stand the test of time. It was a matter of time and like the pipeline security contracts awarded by the same regime, its time is over.”
Mr. Leke Oyewole, the senior special assistant to ex President Jonathan on maritime, however said he was not aware of this development. “Honestly I have not heard anything like that” and advised the Federal Government not to go back the old ways when NIMASA was handling the water security, noting that ever since GWVSNL was in charge of providing platforms for security on the nation’s waters, there had been an improvement.