Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, a Coalition of 225 Youth Groups mainly of Northern Nigeria, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the service chiefs over ‘their failure’ to secure the nation’s pipelines against vandals.
The Coalition was reacting to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)’s award of a N4billion monthly contract for the security of pipelines to Mr Government Ekpemupolo, otherwise known as Tompolo.
According to them, Tompolo should be appointed to replace the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, since the ex-militant leader had been found competent to whip oil thieves into line.
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Comrade Victor Duniya, Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, condemned the award of pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo, describing it as an empowerment scheme for Niger Delta Youths, despite the billions of Naira spent on what it called “the failed amnesty programme’ that is exclusively designed for them.
It described the NNPC gesture as against the spirit and letters of the Nigerian constitution that advocates for federal character in all government dealings.
It also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, Group Executive Director, Upstream of the NNPC LTD, Mr Adokiye Tombomelye, for promoting ethnic and regional interest over National interest and GMD of NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari, for using his office to reward ‘criminality and treasonable tendencies instead of patriotism’.
It said: “We received the news of the award of Pipeline surveillance contract worth over Four Billion Naira Monthly by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited to Mr Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, a Former leader of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta with rude shock.
“Our group gathered that the said contract is meant to end illegal bunkering, illegal refining and other forms of oil theft in the Niger Delta.”
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It threatened to sue the From the above background, We therefore which to make the following demands: That the Niger Delta Youths should chose either the Tompolo contract or the Presidential Amnesty program. As we can’t continue to fold our arms and watch government spent her scarce resources on few unpatriotic elements
“That President Muhammadu Buhari should sack His Excellency, Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr Adokiye Tombomelye, Group Executive Director, Upstream of the NNPC LTD, for promoting ethnic and regional interest over National interest and Mele Kyari, GMD for using his office to reward criminality and treasonable tendencies instead of patriotism.
“That the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs be sacked since they can’t use the instrument of coercion at their disposal to end Oil Bunkering in the Niger Delta, we wish to also, suggest that Tomopolo be Appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff since he has been found competent to whip oil thieves to line. The role the service chiefs have consistently failed play.
“That each region in the country is faced with its peculiar challenges, hence, the NNPC Limited and the Federal Government should vote out 4 billion Naira monthly, for Youths of the 5 other geopolitical Zones that are not beneficiaries of the NNPC Limited gift to Niger Delta Youths.
“That we will be forced to take both physical (protest) and legal actions, if the NNPC Limited and the Federal Government failed to revoke the awarded Contract to Tompolo’s firm in the next Seven (7) days,” it demanded.