President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has awarded Government Ekpemupolo, better known as Tompolo, a pipeline surveillance contract.
The former militant leader was the Commander of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND).
The deal is described as a renewal as Tompolo got a similar deal during the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
The government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited agreed to engage Tompolo to end illegal bunkering, illegal refining and oil theft in Niger-Delta communities.
It is a reversal of the initial stance which saw the cancellation of the contract months after President Buhari assumed office.
A source close to Tompolo told The Nation that the current deal is worth over N4billion monthly.
“Before the cancellation of his contract, the arrangements he put in place tackled illegal bunkering and increased production quota to over two million barrels per day.
“But the new government cancelled the contract, declared him wanted and he was later exonerated of all wrongdoings.
“They have realised the need to bring him back because currently, the country is losing over 500,000 barrels per day to illegal bunkering”, he said.
