The Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, IPDI, has lambasted the Nigerian Navy, saying it is a disappointment, alleging it made no achievements while it held the pipeline surveillance responsibility.
The group’s anger follows a recent allegation by Oweizide Government Ekpemupolo also known as Tompolo that the Navy is sabotaging its efforts in the fight against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
IPDI National Coordinator, Austin Ozobo in a telephone chat with DAILY POST Correspondent claimed that rather than make positive achievements, the country bled economically under Navy surveillance, stressing that oil theft was at its peak.
Alleging that the Navy connived with ship owners to steal crude oil, Ozobo asked, “Do you know that many ships load oil from different points in this country are not recorded?
“This Navy you see, they’re fighting Tompolo because it is no longer business as usual. Navy officials become billionaires overnight through oil theft. Tompolo as a strong man, will not allow them to do that. And you know, he is spoiling their business and that’s the anger of the Navy.”
Ozobo who is also the National President of the Ijaw Publishers Forum, IPF said, ” the Navy cannot come and tell us that they don’t know anything about oil theft because the menace is so prevalent the time they were at the peak of the fight against oil theft.”
“As you can see, the Navy is just trying to thwart efforts. Trying to make things look difficult for Tompolo and they’re envious of the job. They want to take the job back. So, they can go to any length to either blackmail him or sabotage his efforts to make the government think Tompolo is not making any impact. That’s what the Navy is doing.”
He alleged, “When Tompolo had not taken over this job, in Forcados Terminal when you want to go to Sokeboulou, there’s a Navy Ship there. Anytime you get to that place, if you don’t get Asthma, you will get other diseases. The level of pollution, if you don’t get a cough, you will get other diseases relating to cough. If the water stains your clothes either white or plain, it’s completely damaged.”
“That’s how it was and the Navy were with their big ships, gunboats at the entrance of Sokeboulou in Ogulagha terminal. Why did the Navy want to come and tell us they don’t know anything about it?
“Go to Southern Ijaw in Bayelsa State at the time Tompolo had not taken over this surveillance job, if you to go Southern Ijaw, there were more than one Army Check Point, one Navy checkpoint, just like that in the entire river. That’s the depot of oil bunkering at that time and the Navy, the Military all of them were there. So, am not surprised about what the Navy is doing.
“They’re just struggling to make the government believe that they’re working and that they should be given the surveillance job. That’s just the blackmail they’re trying to do. Anybody that’s saying Tompolo is trying to blackmail Navy, it’s a lie. It is the Navy that’s blackmailing him because they’re not happy that the job is given to a civilian. They said they(Navy) being military are the right people to handle surveillance job in the Country and that has been the envy of the Navy.”
Ozobo claimed that Tompolo was not just alleging Navy sabotage but noted that the issues have played out other times. “There was a time they held a ship in Benin river here, the Navy started shooting, threatening if TANTITA boys come closer, they will shoot them.” The boys had to beat a retreat because they were unarmed.
He claimed that many vessels had also been apprehended and escorted by the Navy when they found out that there was no licence for them to even load in the first instance.
“A lot of vessels are coming to load at midnight at various loading points with the understanding of the Nigerian Navy aiding and abetting them just to get their cut.”
Recall that Oweizide Government Ekpemupolo had recently raised an alarm that the Nigerian Navy is sabotaging its efforts in the fight against crude oil theft in the Country.
Tompolo made the allegations when the National leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA paid him a courtesy visit at his country home, Oporoza Community, headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.
