Erstwhile President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri on Monday called on President Bola Tinubu to ignore calls for the cancellation of the oil and gas security surveillance contract awarded to the Tantita Security Services.
Eradiri described those agitating for the contract cancellation as enemies of Nigeria and conflict merchants, insisting that such individuals were only interested in returning the Niger Delta to the dark era of unchecked illegal oil bunkering, violence and bloodshed.
In a statement, he said it was shocking that some people could out of jealousy and hatred for Tompolo, the founder of TSS, be against the firm that had done a lot to stabilize the security and peace of the region.
He described the Tantita’s surveillance contract as one of the positive things inherited and sustained by the Tinubu administration, saying it had stopped the conflicts that led to the decline in oil production.
The former IYC president said such persons who are bent on bringing the company down were not happy that the activities of Tompolo and Tantita had stabilised the region making it one of the most peaceful zones in the country.
Eradiri further recalled that prior to the contract, the IYC, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and other agitators had clamored for local participation in the protection of oil and gas facilities in their domains.
He said the government listened to the agitations and chose to engage Tompolo and his company because of his high level of community engagement, organisation, discipline and self-sacrifice.
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Eradiri noted that since Tompolo and his partners took over the pipelines surveillance contract, they had ensured that its benefits trickled down to the least stakeholders in the Niger Delta to give everyone a sense of belonging.
He stated that Tantita had provided jobs for thousands of stakeholders, mainly youths across all the nine states of the Niger Delta, adding that the company had empowered many people with decent lifestyles.
Besides, Eradiri argued that the political enemies of President Tinubu were sponsoring the campaign against Tantita because they saw Tompolo’s love for the president and his desire to deliver bloc votes for the president as a threat to their 2027 ambition.
He appealed to the president to consider the gains already achieved by Tantita and seek ways of expanding the contract instead of either shrinking or cancelling it.
