Niger Delta youths under the aegis of the 21st Century Youths of the Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience (21st CYNDAC) have described as malicious and shameful, the protest against Tantita Security Services and Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.
The leader of 21st CYNDAC, Mr Izon Ebi, in a statement he made available to TPCN on Wednesday, September 10, condemned the recent protest staged in front of the U.S Congress, insisting that Tompolo deserved to be commended following his impact in the Niger Delta region.
Izon said Tompolo has empowered local communities through infrastructure development, employment opportunities, scholarships, entrepreneurship grants, and skill acquisition programs both locally and internationally.
He called on the U.S Congress, the international community, and the public to disregard the protest. “The shameful macabre dance of reformed oil thieves and their co-travellers in front of the US Congress is so unfortunate and shameful. It is so unfortunate, disheartening and idiotic to hoodwink the US Congress and the International communities with an insensitive and idiotic caption of protest against Tantita security services, Tompolo, Mathew Tonlagha, Chief Dennis Otuaro, Joshua Machaver and Chief Kestin Pondei, MD Tantita Security Services.
“In very strong terms, the 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience (21st CYNDAC) condemns the shameful and malicious coordinated campaign of calumny and dance of shame in front of the US Congress in the name of protest against distinguished personalities and highly resourceful and respected leader, a father in the Niger Delta struggle and Niger Delta region high Chief Oweizidei Government Ekpemupolo Alias (Tompolo).
“Over the years, the hydrocarbon resources of the Niger Delta have been under coordinated attacks and pillage by non-state actors, causing a decline in product delivery, this abnormally brought the production capacity of crude oil to about 1.3 million barrels per day before the advent of the present administration. The pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services put paid to the wanton oil theft that characterised the past. It’s rather unfortunate that instead of applauding this feat, ex beneficiaries of the pillage are jumping from the mainstream media to private podcasts and sponsored protest and propaganda to spew gibberish and trying to distract the government from what has been statistically proven improved crude oil output through the efforts of Tantita security services under the leadership of high Chief Government Oweizidei Ekpemupolo Alias(Tompolo).”
21st CYNDAC stated that “the impact of Tompolo in the Niger Delta region is not and only limited to the provition of security to our pipeline and protection of the nations critical hydrocarbon infrastructures but has gone further to building of communities with modern infrastructure, empowering indigent citizens of the Niger Delta through employment, scholarship to students, grants to small and medium scale entrepreneur and various skill acquisition programs both in country and abroad.
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“We can boldly claim that their production has increased, the environment and pipelines in the Delta have been safer under the watch of High Chief Tompolo and Tantita Security Services, this can be empirically and statistically ascertained.
“We thus use this medium to implore the US Congress, the International communities and well-meaning individuals to disregard the cries and campaign of calumny by fifth columnists and detractors who feel pained that their brigandage has been cut short by the activities of Tantita security services, and their illegal oil bunkering activities have been stopped.
“The new board of the NNPCL has its work cut out for them; to sustain the momentum in the protection of the critical oil infrastructure and improve crude oil output to 2 million plus before the end of the year to mitigate economic downturn and sustain production to meet our budget benchmark. The US Congress and the International community should ignore the merchants of blackmail and propaganda whose gravy train has been permanently stopped.
“To the shameful ex-militant leader from Bayelsa state and his co-travellers who sponsored the shameful dance of shame in front of the US Congress in the name of protest circulating in the media, we urge them to desist immediately and tender an unreserved apology to the people of the Niger Delta region to avoid the wrath of the gods and a backlash.
“The campaign of calumny against High Chief Tompolo, Matthew Tonlagha, Chief Dennis Otuaro, and Chief Kestin Pondei, MD Tantita Security Services, is borne out of jealousy, selfishness, avarice and greed by other so-called famished ex-militants, local warlords and oil thieves.”
Further, they urged the federal government to be “circumspect about the activities and actions of these charlatans that don’t have capacity and love for the Niger Delta region and its people, for any productive endeavour talk let of providing critical security service to our oil and gas infrastructure.
“The government and people must refuse to be hoodwinked by these detractors to evade what was prevalent before President Bola Tinubu ‘s tenure. The main actors of the shameful protest in front of the US Congress are known stooges of one of the self-acclaimed leaders of the Niger Delta struggle, who believes in himself for self-aggrandisement and showmanship to the detriment of the Niger Delta region and its people.”
