The pioneer chairman of the Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA), Dr Ahmed Tijani
Ramalan, has revealed that the agency
pays the sum of N1.5bn every month
to the ex-militant leader of the
Movement for the Emancipation of
Niger Delta (MEND), Mr. Government
Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, to protect
the nation’s maritime areas, yet we
have a military.
Dr Ramalan, however, lamented that
despite such fraudulent deal, Nigeria
still loses over 400,000 barrels of
crude oil on a daily basis from the
nation’s shores.
He said, “Over 400,000 barrels of
crude oil are being stolen daily from
our shores under President
Jonathan; yet we had a government
that has the Navy, the Army and the
Air Force, and the government of
Jonathan decides to hand over the
security of our maritime waters to
Tompolo at a very exorbitant
amount of money.
“And these same people that are
given the job of our maritime
security are the ones that are
collaborating with the international
shipping companies to steal our oil.”
The former NIMASA chairman, who
revealed this in an interview with
LEADERSHIP in Kaduna, called on
President Muhammadu Buhari to
cancel the contract given to the ex-
militant by the administration of
Goodluck Jonathan.
He said one of the ways to help the
country’s economy to bounce back is
to revoke Tompolo’s contract.
“And if Buhari does not do so, we will
be the first to start attacking him.
There is no basis to give that kind of
billions of naira job to ex-militants,”
he declared.
Making further clarification on how
long the payment has been going on,
Ramalan said it started “sometime
after 2011 when Jonathan won his
election and since then the payment
has been on.
“I was the pioneer chairman of
NIMASA, and NIMASA is the one
funding the contract given to
Tompolo. This is a guy that is
collecting about N1.5bn every month
and yet our Armed Forces are not well
funded. So, we call on the president to
discard such contract…
“We believe the country needs a
leader that is not corrupt, because the
issue of corruption in the country has
led the country to its knees.
“The country would have gone down if
the administration of Jonathan was
allowed to continue. For us, we believe
that having a new leader is what the
country needs because of the massive
corruption. We believe in President
Buhari; we believe there is hope in
having him as the president.”
Tompolo keeps mum
Attempt by LEADERSHIP to get
clarification on the allegation from
Tompolo wasn’t successful. Initial
calls made to his spokesperson,
Comrade Paul Bebenimibo went
unanswered, likewise SMS but he later
replied to an SMS sent to him saying “I
will get across to my boss.”
He never got back again to
LEADERSHIP up to the time of going to
press when several calls around
11:27pm where again made to hi
Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA), Dr Ahmed Tijani
Ramalan, has revealed that the agency
pays the sum of N1.5bn every month
to the ex-militant leader of the
Movement for the Emancipation of
Niger Delta (MEND), Mr. Government
Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, to protect
the nation’s maritime areas, yet we
have a military.
Dr Ramalan, however, lamented that
despite such fraudulent deal, Nigeria
still loses over 400,000 barrels of
crude oil on a daily basis from the
nation’s shores.
He said, “Over 400,000 barrels of
crude oil are being stolen daily from
our shores under President
Jonathan; yet we had a government
that has the Navy, the Army and the
Air Force, and the government of
Jonathan decides to hand over the
security of our maritime waters to
Tompolo at a very exorbitant
amount of money.
“And these same people that are
given the job of our maritime
security are the ones that are
collaborating with the international
shipping companies to steal our oil.”
The former NIMASA chairman, who
revealed this in an interview with
LEADERSHIP in Kaduna, called on
President Muhammadu Buhari to
cancel the contract given to the ex-
militant by the administration of
Goodluck Jonathan.
He said one of the ways to help the
country’s economy to bounce back is
to revoke Tompolo’s contract.
“And if Buhari does not do so, we will
be the first to start attacking him.
There is no basis to give that kind of
billions of naira job to ex-militants,”
he declared.
Making further clarification on how
long the payment has been going on,
Ramalan said it started “sometime
after 2011 when Jonathan won his
election and since then the payment
has been on.
“I was the pioneer chairman of
NIMASA, and NIMASA is the one
funding the contract given to
Tompolo. This is a guy that is
collecting about N1.5bn every month
and yet our Armed Forces are not well
funded. So, we call on the president to
discard such contract…
“We believe the country needs a
leader that is not corrupt, because the
issue of corruption in the country has
led the country to its knees.
“The country would have gone down if
the administration of Jonathan was
allowed to continue. For us, we believe
that having a new leader is what the
country needs because of the massive
corruption. We believe in President
Buhari; we believe there is hope in
having him as the president.”
Tompolo keeps mum
Attempt by LEADERSHIP to get
clarification on the allegation from
Tompolo wasn’t successful. Initial
calls made to his spokesperson,
Comrade Paul Bebenimibo went
unanswered, likewise SMS but he later
replied to an SMS sent to him saying “I
will get across to my boss.”
He never got back again to
LEADERSHIP up to the time of going to
press when several calls around
11:27pm where again made to hi
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