N’Delta stakeholder, Moni criticises Gov Diri over call to review pipeline security contract

By Peters Monday, Abuja

A Niger Delta stakeholder and former warlord, Comrade Ebis Moni has faulted the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri for wrongly advising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review the Niger Delta pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Nigeria Limited, (private security outfit) and giving to Nigeria Navy to take charge.

A press statement by Moni sent to a Congress correspondent on Wednesday said the pipeline security contracts had been managed by the Nigerian Navy earlier but were later awarded to private security companies because the Navy failed in their respective mandate.

According to him, asking the federal government to review the security oil pipelines crisscrossing the Niger Delta to be handled by Nigerian Navy is shameful, mischievous and uncalled for.

The statement reads, “I think Diri is one of the beneficiaries in the Ijaw struggle to control our God-given Mineral resources. But today I am surprised to hear our supposed governor-general saying a thing like this, it is amazing to the people of the entire Niger Delta.
If I may ask, was the Navy not policing oil facilities when the bunkering activities brought oil production to as low as 700,000 barrels per day some years ago?

“But former president Muhammadu Buhari with his magnanimity, took the bull by the horns by awarding the pipeline security job to a reputable security company, Tantita Security LTD owned by Dr Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo. Bola Tinubu also saw the improved state of oil production and rewarded it to Tantita to create more peace and job opportunities in the region. So l expected Diri to commend Tantita and Bola Tinubu and not to play a spoiler game.
The Tantita company is perfectly doing the job to the admiration of the whole country boosting the oil production to the higher level of 1.8m barrel daily now.”

Moni, further asked: “Does Diri knows the rate of employment opportunities Tantita private security company had generated in the Niger Delta?. It’s estimated that over 40,000 youths are gainfully employed by Tantita and all the oil-producing and impacted communities in the region are laughing to their various banks at the end of the month. Is that not good enough?” He queried.

The Meinbutu’s BoT chairman, Moni said that Tantita and other private companies securing the pipeline facilities had made the region very peaceful more than every other region in the country.

He, however, expressed disappointment in the outburst of the supposed Governor General, Diri, adding that his action was capable of taking food away from the mouths of over forty thousand gallant youths in the region.

“I know Mr President, Bola will never take any wrong advice given to him by anybody because it seems the governor of Bayelsa State is not conversant with the reality on the ground in the region.”

Moni appealed to Mr president Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ignore the advice given to him by Douye Diri because even Bayelsa where the governor is ruling is not doing better than Tantita’s private security outfit.

“Mr president you have followed the right steps already to bring permanent peace to the region. Don’t allow anyone to thwart the effort you have made to bring peace in Niger Delta,” he reiterated.