Rights Chief condemns UPU attacks on Tantita, says revered UPU now in mess over poor leadership 

By Osaro Michael, Benin

Niger Delta activist has slammed the Urhobo Progressive Union, UPU of betrayal and greed for calling for the termination of Tantita Security Services surveillance contract.

This was contained in a statement signed by Comrade Ozobo Austin, a human rights chieftain, in which a copy was sent to newsmen in Warri on Sunday.

Ozobo said the UPU position was not supported by the Urhobo general public, adding that UPU president Chief Ese Gams was only speaking for its selfish interest.

His words, “I am an Urhobo from Ewreni community and my wife is from the Ewu community, Chief Ese can’t be more Urhobo than me. He speaks for his pocket and not for the common Urhobo youths and women. The Urhobo are at peace with Ijaw people and what UPU is saying, no Urhobo youth or elders asked them to say the nonsense he is saying. There was no time Urhobo nation met to decide what Chief Ese published about Tantita. He was not authorized, and did not speak for Urhobo people.

“I appeal to my Ijaw brothers to attack the characters in UPU speaking for their pockets alone and not to generalize their attack on the Urhobo nation because Urhobo people didn’t send UPU unguided President Chief Ese to attack Tantita”, Ozobo added.

According to the activist, the unguided UPU president can’t speak for the good people of the Urhobo nation.

The Comrade Ozobo said many Urhobo youths were beneficiaries of Tantita Security services pipeline security contracts in Delta State, adding that UPU goofed and its position was misleading and self-servicing.

He said the slots that were given to UPU, the unguided and mischievous UPU president, Chief Ese Gams try to convert it to his personal affairs, demanding for bulk payment instead of money going to beneficiaries accounts directly, hence the process was halt but that doesn’t means that other Urhobos were not befitting.

Ozobo who praised Tantita said there was no indigenous private security company in the history of Nigeria that has beaten the records of Tantita Security services Nigeria limited, in terms of service delivery, capacity, inclusivity, humanitarian service and benevolence.

He further emphasised that it wasn’t UPU rights to benefit from Tantita but it was a privilege, adding that it was within the powers of the company to decide how it carried out its employment with mostly qualifications of security skills being first consideration.

The activist further stressed that it wasn’t the place of the UPU to decide what Tantita would do to carry out their legitimate security contract, so long qualified Urhobo youths were employed in catchment areas, adding that UPU is a midlessome interloper and busy body.

Ozobo accused UPU of being docile while a Benin man , Captain Hosa was handling the pipeline security contract for 8 years without UPU input and slot allotted to UPU.

He urged UPU led by mischievous Chief Ese to bury its head in shame, stating that UPU president is acting like a motor park or garage Agbero.

IPDI urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, NSA and NNPCL to ignore the malicious, mischievous and misleading public utterances of UPU in Delta State.