Rivers Gov, Fubara, slams Nigerian govt for awarding pipeline security contract to ‘one man’

Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, on Saturday chastised the federal government for hiring “one man” to protect crude oil pipelines.

The governor spoke when a Federal Government delegation on the security of oil and gas assets led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, visited him at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, had defended the government’s choice of Tantita Security Services, headed by former militant leader Government Ekpemepulo aka Tompolo, as the recipient of a multi-billion naira contract for pipeline surveillance, in August 2022.

Despite not naming anyone, the governor of Rivers claimed that the Federal Government’s policy would not be successful since one person cannot control the assets located in another’s area.

Fubara, who decried the neglect of the state by the Federal Government, called on the delegation to ensure that the outcome of their task would be beneficial to both the Federal and the state governments.

Read Also: Warn herdsmen against attacking residents, farmers, Fubara tells Muslim clerics

He advised them to engage the people at the grassroots to better appreciate the situation in the Niger Delta area.

The governor said, “Security of pipeline should not be given to one man or one person. How can someone from Kalabari be controlling the pipeline in Ogoni? There is no way it will work.

“We must look at bringing all the key people in the various communities.

“Two of our sons from Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom are heading the ministry of petroleum. We don’t want them to fail. We must give them the necessary support.”

He urged the delegation to speak with the appropriate persons so they could obtain the necessary information.

Under the direction of the recently-departed Governor, Nyesom Wike, Rivers fought hard against unauthorised crude oil refining, according to Fubara, and his administration won’t lower the bar.

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