"Stop Holding Tompolo Responsible For The Failure Of Your Government, He Is A Private Businessman Not The ATM Or Governor Of Niger Delta"___

By Ebiowei Gabriel

NDAPDEJ: Those Accusing Tompolo Of Spending Niger Delta Collective Resources Must Produce Evidence Or Stop Spreading Unsubstantiated Allegations.

The Niger Delta Advocates For Peace, Development And Economic Justice (NDAPDEJ) has strongly condemned what it describes as a growing campaign of envy, political hostility and misplaced entitlement against the person of High Chief Dr. Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, A.K.A Tompolo.

The organisation said it was becoming increasingly disturbing that certain individuals who were conspicuously silent during Tompolo’s years of struggle have suddenly become self-appointed auditors of his personal finances simply because he has attained considerable business success and influence in the Niger Delta.

Speaking on the matter, the National Coordinator of NDAPDEJ, Comrade Freeborn Ebimaye Abraye, challenged those accusing Tompolo of using Niger Delta collective resources to finance political activities, including the PBAT DOOR-TO-DOOR Campaign for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to come forward with verifiable evidence.

“Let me make this abundantly clear, Tompolo is an individual not the Government of Niger Delta. And Being a prominent leader in the Niger Delta does not automatically mean that every business, property, investment or financial resource belonging to him was donated by the people of the Niger Delta”.

“Tompolo is a businessman who has engaged in business activities and built his economic standing over the years. He has the right to determine how he deploys his legitimately earned personal resources, including which causes, organisations or political movements he chooses to support.”

“If Tompolo decides to spend his personal money to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or any political movement, that is his personal decision. Nobody should manufacture allegations of financial misconduct simply because they disagree with his political choices.”

“However, for those insisting that the money being spent on the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement is Niger Delta collective money, I challenge you to bring forward your evidence. Show us the financial records. Identify the particular public funds you claim were diverted. Provide verifiable facts”.

“You cannot wake up, make sweeping allegations against another person’s financial integrity and expect the public to accept your accusations as established facts. Enough of this politics of envy”.

TOMPOLO WAS ALREADY A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN BEFORE THE PIPELINE SURVEILLANCE CONTRACT WAS AWARDED TO HIM IN 2022.

Abraye further dismissed arguments suggesting that Tompolo’s financial standing originated exclusively from the Presidential Amnesty Programme or the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a private security company belonging to him.

According to Abraye, such arguments ignore the history of Tompolo’s business activities and economic engagements before the emergence of the current pipeline surveillance contract. Asserting that some people have suddenly become financial historians, attempting to rewrite Tompolo’s business history to suit their political narratives.

“Was Tompolo not already a successful businessman before the current pipeline surveillance contract was awarded to him in 2022?
Was he not involved in business activities before the present administration of the Presidential Amnesty Programme?
Why are people deliberately ignoring the years of business engagements that preceded these developments”?

“Nobody should deliberately erase an Tompolo’s business history simply to create the impression that everything he owns must have originated from public resources. If you have evidence of financial misconduct, present it to the appropriate authorities and stop presenting speculations, political resentment and personal assumptions as established facts.”

THE PIPELINE SURVEILLANCE CONTRACT WAS AWARDED TO A COMPANY, NOT TO NIGER DELTA PLC!

Addressing the controversy surrounding the pipeline surveillance contract, Abraye insisted that the distinction between a government contract awarded to a private company and a government programme established for the collective benefit of an entire region must be clearly understood.
He stated that the federal government did not award a single regional contract to an imaginary corporate entity called Niger Delta People Limited.
Rather, the contract under discussion was awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a private security company belonging to Tompolo.

“Let us correct this deliberate misconception once and for all. The pipeline surveillance contract was not awarded to Niger Delta people as a collective political or corporate organisation. It was awarded to a private company, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited owned by Tompolo”.

“The Niger Delta people did not collectively submit a bid for that particular contract. The government engaged a private contractor to undertake a specific responsibility. Therefore, those who want to contest the terms, beneficiaries, scope, distribution and performance of the contract should direct their concerns to the contracting authorities”.

“You cannot turn a private company’s government contract into an automatic claim that every individual in the Niger Delta has an unrestricted ownership interest in its proceeds.”

He further observed that pipeline surveillance contract existed before Tantita’s emergence, including periods when government security institutions and other private contractors handled the security of the pipelines and other critical oil assets within the Niger Delta.

TOMPOLO’S ENGAGEMENT WITH NIGER DELTA COMMUNITIES SHOULD NOT BE TURNED INTO AN OBLIGATION TO FINANCE GOVERNMENT

Abraye also defended Tompolo’s reported efforts to distribute economic opportunities arising from his company’s surveillance engagements across different parts of the Niger Delta.

He maintained that Tompolo’s decision to extend opportunities beyond his immediate community should be recognised as a business and stakeholder engagement choice, not twisted into an argument that he must personally finance every developmental responsibility of the federal and state governments.

According to Abraye:
“From the accounts of community and stakeholder engagements surrounding the surveillance arrangement, Tompolo made efforts to accommodate interests beyond his immediate locality. That is precisely why we must distinguish between what a private contractor is legally required to do, what a contract provides for, and what an individual voluntarily chooses to do in the interest of wider community participation”.

“If a businessman decides to extend opportunities to communities outside his immediate environment, that should not become a weapon to blackmail him. Because you cannot demand that he share opportunities across the region and, at the same time, condemn him simply because you disagree with how he exercises his business and personal choices. That is not constructive advocacy, that is entitlement politics”.

WHY ARE THE SAME PEOPLE NOT HOLDING GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR FLOODING, BAD ROADS AND POOR INFRASTRUCTURE?

Reacting to calls by some commentators for Tompolo to redirect his personal spending towards flood control, roads, schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure, Abraye described such demands as a displacement of government responsibility.
He specifically criticised arguments seeking to make Tompolo personally answerable for the failure of public infrastructure and flood-control systems in Delta State.

“Let me ask a very important question:
Is Tompolo the Governor of Delta State?
Is he the Commissioner for Works?
Is he the Commissioner for Environment?
Is he the Minister of Works?
Is he the chairman of any local government council?
If not, why then are people deliberately transferring the responsibilities of government to one private individual?”

“If there are bad roads, ask the government responsible for constructing and maintaining those roads. If communities are experiencing flooding, demand effective drainage systems, flood-control infrastructure, environmental management and proper urban planning from the relevant authorities.
If public schools and hospitals are inadequate, hold the responsible government institutions accountable. That is what responsible civic engagement should look like”.

“Government collects statutory allocations, generates revenue and controls public budgets precisely because it has constitutional and administrative responsibilities to provide public services. Tompolo is not a substitute for the Delta State Government, the Federal Government or local government councils. Any developmental project he undertakes through personal goodwill or corporate social responsibility should be appreciated as an additional contribution, not converted into an endless obligation to perform the duties of elected governments”.

YOU CANNOT DEMAND TOMPOLO’S MONEY WHILE REFUSING TO HOLD YOUR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE

Abraye maintained that Niger Delta development advocacy must not become an exercise in targeting wealthy individuals while allowing public officeholders and government institutions to escape scrutiny.
He said the region needs stronger institutions, accountable leadership, transparent public expenditure, employment opportunities, quality infrastructure and sustainable economic development.

“We cannot continue to build a society where an individual who has worked to establish businesses is expected to solve every public problem while those constitutionally entrusted with public resources are allowed to operate without sufficient scrutiny”.

“Where were these self-appointed defenders of collective resources when our communities were crying over abandoned projects, poor roads, inadequate healthcare, unemployment and environmental challenges?
Why is the same energy not being directed towards demanding transparent budgets, published project records, independent audits and measurable developmental outcomes from government agencies?
Let us stop confusing private wealth with public revenue.
Let us stop confusing corporate contracts with collective ownership.
Let us stop confusing voluntary philanthropy with constitutional responsibility.”

OUR POSITION: TRANSPARENCY MUST BE CONSISTENT, NOT SELECTIVE!

NDAPDEJ maintains that every government contractor must comply with contractual obligations, financial regulations and applicable laws. Equally, allegations of financial impropriety must be supported by credible evidence and addressed through the appropriate institutions.

The organisation also maintains that public figures and businesspeople should be allowed to make their personal political choices without being subjected to unsubstantiated accusations.

“I will continue to defend the principle that nobody should be condemned simply because he has become successful, influential or wealthy.
Tompolo’s leadership position in the Niger Delta does not make every asset he owns the collective property of the Niger Delta people.
His business interests are not automatically regional government assets, and his personal financial decisions should not be subjected to imaginary ownership claims.”

“If anybody has evidence that public money was unlawfully diverted, bring it forward. If anybody has evidence of a contractual violation, present it to the appropriate authorities. But do not use the name of the Niger Delta people as a convenient instrument for political blackmail, personal resentment or the pursuit of relevance.”

“The Niger Delta needs development, not endless campaigns of envy.
We need accountability, not selective outrage. We need constructive engagement, not the destruction of individuals through unsubstantiated allegations.”

“Most importantly, those who genuinely care about the Niger Delta must learn to distinguish between the responsibilities of government, the obligations of private contractors and the personal decisions of individual businessmen.”

TOMPOLO IS NOT THE GOVERNMENT OF NIGER DELTA. HE IS NOT THE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE. AND HE IS NOT PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY DEVELOPMENTAL FAILURE IN OUR REGION!

SIGNED:
Comrade Freeborn Abraye
National Coordinator, Niger Delta Advocates For Peace, Development And Economic Justice (NDAPDEJ).