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Northern youths calling to revoke pipeline contract, sack of petroleum minister are greedy, selfish -IPDI

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•Says the call may threaten peace in N/Delta

Foremost Niger Delta group, the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, IPDI has rubbished the call by Arewa Youths to withdraw the oil pipeline surveillance contract awarded to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo and demand to sack the Minister of Petroleum (State) Sylva Timipre and Director, Upstream of the NNPC LTD, Adokiye Tombomelye for involving in the award of the surveillance contract to Tompolo.

The group, in a statement signed by its National President Comrade Ozobo Austin on Monday, said the call to revoke the Oil surveillance contract recently awarded to Tompolo is mischievous, barbaric and provocative, adding that it could pose an unnecessary threat to the fragile peace in Niger Delta region.

The statement which was titled: “Arewa Youths Call to Revoke Surveillance Contract, Sack of Petroleum Minister may threaten peace in N/Delta” said: “Our attention has been drawn to a mischievous and defamatory publication accredited to Arewa Youths Organization calling for the Nigeria Federal Government to halt or revoke the oil pipeline surveillance contract awarded to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo in seven days.

“It should be noted that the Arewa Youths misfired for issuing seven days threat to Federal Government and NNPC to revoke the surveillance contract awarded to Tompolo. This call is barbaric and provocative as it is a threat to the fragile peace in the Niger Delta region.

“It is not our character to join issues with every Dick and Harry or charlatan but for the record purpose. We have been disgusted by the singular fact that the Northerners do not see any good thing about the people of Niger Delta who laid the golden egg. They are greedy and selfish.

“It is also a misplaced priority to have called for the sack of Minister of Petroleum (State) Sylva Timipre and Director, Upstream of the NNPC LTD, Adokiye Tombomelye for involving in the award of the surveillance contract to Tompolo because the contract was awarded on the instances of the federal government.

“For the record purpose, let Arewa youths be informed that nobody blackmailed the Federal Government into awarding the pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo. The government voluntarily awarded the contract to him having discovered the incompetence of the recent contractors in handling the project.
These charlatan youths should know that the job was awarded to Tompolo based on merit and competence.

“They should equally refresh their empty brains that Tompolo has been vindicated of every cooked-up charge by Lagos State Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Buba, which proved him innocent of all accusations.

“It is also wrong to have said the oil surveillance contract to Tompolo is empowerment to Niger Delta youths, except it was empowerment to the Northern youths when it was been handled by leaders from northern Nigeria.

“It was a pity that those who consistently abuse federal character are the same people shouting about a federal character in pipeline surveillance contract. This exposes the level of greed among Northerns in Nigeria. If the contract was awarded to them, they won’t have been talking about federal character. Today as we speak, all security Chiefs in Nigeria are Northerns and the so-called Arewa youths are yet to come out to condemn it and that such arrangement is an abuse of federal character,” he added.

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