Adopt Tompolo's template to combat oil theft, Funkekeme Solomon counsels FG

The Senior Policy Adviser to the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, has urged the Federal Government to adopt the strategies used by Chief Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, in effectively combating crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

Commending Tompolo on the success he recorded in curbing the activities of oil thieves in his area of operations, Solomon noted that since he stands out among all the organisations involved in monitoring activities on the extraction and export of crude oil, his modus operandi should be adopted as the standard operational procedure by all the agencies and organisations involved in combating crude oil theft.

Solomon revealed this in a statement issued in Asaba on the 4th of March.

"I want to commend Chief Ekpemupolo on the successes recorded by his organisation that earned him a special recognition by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). For a long time, the impression had been created that oil theft cannot be curbed. But Tompolo, through his patriotic commitment to the assignment, has shown that it can be done.

"He has shown that despite the allure of blood oil, there are people that are genuinely committed to saving the economy from collapse. Crude oil still remains the mainstay of Nigeria's economy and accounts for more than 90 percent of our foreign exchange earnings. The continuous bleeding of this artery of the nation's economy is a serious challenge to our collective well being. That Tompolo is conscientiously restoring sanity to the industry will have a calming effect on the economy". He stated.

Meanwhile, the NUJ conferred Internal Security Meritorious Award on Tompolo in appreciation of the accomplishments of his organisation, Tantita Security Services. At the award ceremony weekend, president of the NUJ, Chris Isiguzo, lauded Tompolo’s contributions to internal security, particularly in the Niger Delta region.

He noted that the awardee had substantially helped the country to address the issue of crude oil theft which according to him, had over time, occupied the national life of Nigerians.

Isiguzo said the issues of insecurity and economic sabotage in the country have been worrisome and of major concern to Nigerians.