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Oil Thieves Fuelling Attack On Tompolo’s Contract – Group

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The Ijaw Patriotic League has backed the Federal Government in ignoring calls to revoke the oil pipeline protection contract awarded to a company in which High Chief Ekpemupolo Tompolo has an interest.

The National Coordinator of the IPL, Jasper Eritei described the decision of the Federal Government to engage a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta to assist in securing the nation’s outrageously violated pipelines as well thought out and in the public good.

The group noted that it is the responsibility of the government to make critical decisions to ensure that the overall interest of the society is protected.

The National Coordinator said in a statement on Friday that the condemnation and protests that have followed the award of the contract to the particular company should alert the Federal Government and indeed the NNPC that the right decision has been made to prevent oil theft in the Niger Delta.

READ ALSO: Delta Ijaw Group Backs Tompolo’s Pipeline Surveillance Contract

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The theft of the nation’s oil resources, according to Eritei, has assumed a startling dimension at a time government is borrowing to run the country and should be rightly tackled just as the Government is doing.

He stressed that the massively wealthy criminals running the multibillion Naira oil theft rings will go through proxies to prevent any serious solution.

He stated further that the attacks on the contract should not surprise the government as oil thieves who have deployed billions of oil Naira on tankers and personnel, to criminally plunder the country’s oil resources will not back off without a fight.

He noted that the orchestrated blackmail is just the first show of desperation by this deadly oil cabal.

He stressed that with Tompolo’s track record in NIMASS where a company in which he had interest secured the waterways, the People behind the massive sabotage of the Nigerian economy will not be comfortable.

The group wondered why out of five firms that were engaged, only the one by this particular firm is generating condemnation.

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He stressed further that the same pipeline protection contract had been handled by firms belonging to a traditional ruler in Delta and his late in-law from Edo State with no protest from anywhere.

The group noted that in spite of the fact that both companies operated in the Niger Delta, Chief Tompolo neither complained nor interfered in their operations.

The statement commended the position of the NNPC that it has no regrets engaging the former leader MEND to guard its oil pipeline network.

He said the decision to engage private contractors to fight the menace of oil theft and pipeline vandalism cannot be faulted and engaging a firm in which Tompolo has an interest cannot make it bad.

“We have watched with surprise and indeed consternation the attacks, deliberately put together to blackmail the Federal Government to cancel the pipeline surveillance and protection contract awarded to a firm in which Tompolo has interest.

“We believe that the Federal Government and indeed the NNPC have acted positively to promote the common good by embarking on this deliberate master stroke of a step to counter the mind-boggling theft of the nation’s disappearing resources.

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“Logically, those feeding fat on odious money from stolen crude resources will not welcome the Government’s action without a fight. It is expected that they will commit huge resources to sabotage it.

READ ALSO: Tompolo’s Contract: Security Personnel, Contractors, Politicians’ Allies Real Rhieves – Ex-Bayelsa Lawmaker

“It is on this basis that we call on the Federal Government and the NNPC to be resolute and dismiss this call for the cancellation of the contract awarded to Tompolo.

“We also commend the NNPC for insisting on doing the right thing and staying with the action in spite of the mostly sponsored attacks on the Government.

“We are of the view that the contract promises to be a great leap in the right direction and the Managing Director of the NNPC is right when he declared that the corporation has no regret with the decision.

“Finally, we call on Tompolo to carry out his promise to reach out to various interest groups in the Niger Delta in the interest of a conducive atmosphere for the company’s critical operations.”

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Okuama Killings: Army Whisks Surrendered Delta Monarch To Abuja

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The Army has flown the Ovie of Ewu kingdom in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, HRM Clement Ikolo, who surrendered himself to the Police in Asaba on Thursday to Abuja.

Delta State Police Command handed over the king, who the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, declared wanted with seven others over the killing of 17 soldiers at Okuama on Friday morning.

READ ALSO: [JUST IN] Okuama Killings: Army Declares Eight Persons Wanted [FULL LIST]

The Commanding Officer Commanding Officer, 63 Brigade, Nigeria Army, Asaba, the Delta State Police Commissioner, and other senior military officers escorted the monarch to the Asaba International Airport.

He boarded an Air Peace airline , and the plane departed Asaba Airport tarmac at about 9.10 am to Abuja.

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Let Your Prices Reflect Naira’s Improvement, CNG Tells Business Owners

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The Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has asked business owners to reflect the naira’s improvement against the dollar on the prices of the products they market.

A statement by the National Coordinator, CNG, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, expressed support for genuine efforts to strengthen and stabilize the naira and bring back its value against the dollar.

However, the Group lamented over the reluctance of businesses to review their prices and adjust accordingly.

They said, “The CNG acknowledges some appreciable commitment to addressing economic challenges resulting from the naira’s instability against the dollar, which negatively impacted Nigerians’ purchasing power.

“However, the CNG expresses disappointment over the reluctance of businesses to reflect the current improvement in the naira by adjusting their prices, similar to how they did when the naira was floated.

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“We are saddened to admit that despite sustained gains by the naira, including in the black market, exorbitant prices of goods and services remain prevalent across Nigeria.

“The CNG is deeply concerned about the current skyrocketing prices, which evidently expose some businesses as sworn enemies of Nigeria and Nigerians, despite claims for the contrary.

“The CNG emphasizes that businesses must take positive steps to reciprocate the naira’s stability by lowering the price of their products for the benefit of the common man. Failure to do so may constitute deliberate economic sabotage and exploitative tendencies against Nigerians.

“Businesses in Nigeria have moral and economic obligations to contribute to the overall well-being of Nigerians, which includes lowering prices to allow citizens to fully benefit from the strengthened naira.

“The CNG calls upon these businesses to reconsider their pricing strategies that are inimical to stabilizing the economy to alleviate the pangs of hunger and financial burdens faced by many Nigerians and

“Although profit is essential for any business, it should not come at the expense of Nigerians’ rights and privileges, which businesses must respect to enjoy a friendly business environment.

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“The CNG believes that businesses should support initiatives aimed at controlling inflation and supporting consumers in line with best ethical business practices that encourage shared prosperity for all and sundry.

“Business entities must note that neither the country nor their businesses can achieve a sustainable growth and development when Nigerian masses continue to wallow in hunger and starvation.

“While the government has made strides in stabilizing and strengthening the naira, prices of goods and services have remained unchanged after their hikes due to a weaker naira.

“Hence, businesses must support efforts to stabilize the economy and recalibrate new prices in tandem with the current realities in the interest of all.

“The CNG calls on all stakeholders, including businesses, to take necessary actions that align with the greater interest of Nigerians for a stable economy that provides food for the downtrodden while allowing businesses decent returns on their investments.”

While we specifically acknowledge the efforts of the Office of National Security Adviser (NSA), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other relevant agencies in achieving this milestone, the CNG stresses that efforts should be sustained until a dollar is brought below ₦1000 for Nigerians to cope with the current economic challenges.

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“Furthermore, the government, through the instruments of NSA and CBN, must continue in their efforts to maintain this momentum and implement further measures that will enhance the lives and livelihoods of all Nigerians without fear or favour.

“We at the CNG, suggests that government’s commitment to improving economic conditions should be matched with closer surveillance of major business conglomerates engaging in ethically abhorrent business practices that stifle economic mobility of the majority of Nigerians.

“The CNG, therefore, remains committed to advocating for the welfare of northern Nigerians and encourages all businesses in Nigeria, especially those in the north, to engage in responsible and transparent business practices.”

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Former South African President Zuma Involved In Car Crash

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South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma has been involved in a car crash overnight after a vehicle transporting him was hit by a drunk driver, police said on Friday.

Zuma, however, escaped from the accident unhurt.

The car crash happened just hours after electoral officials barred Zuma from standing in the May 29 general election, further stoking tensions in the run-up to the polls.

The driver’s car “collided with former president Mr Jacob Zuma’s official armoured state vehicle”, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said.

The 51-year-old man was arrested in KwaZulu Natal province “for drunken driving, as well as on a charge of reckless and negligent driving”, SAPS said.

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READ ALSO: South Africa Beat DR Congo In shootout To Finish Third At AFCON

Zuma and his bodyguards escaped uninjured and the 81-year-old was taken to his place of residence.

Zuma, a former veteran of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), was forced out of office in 2018 under a cloud of corruption allegations but still wields political clout.

In December he announced he would be campaigning for the opposition uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party in an attempt to relaunch his career — a major blow to the ANC.

On Wednesday the ANC launched a new court application against MK, after losing an initial bid to have it disqualified.

READ ALSO: 8-year-old Survives As Bus Carrying 46 Pilgrims Crashes In South Africa

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The ANC says that MK’s name and logo are similar to those of the now disbanded apartheid-era military wing of the ANC once led by Nelson Mandela, and that this could deceive or confuse voters.

– Conspiracy theories –

MK’s spokesman Nhlamulo Ndhlela alleged the car collision was not a coincidence.

“The police minister who is responsible for the former president’s protection unit has not upgraded his vehicle for eight years and he is the same person that has previously uttered messages around burying Zuma,” Ndhlela told AFP.

“There is underhand at play here,” he said, alleging that Zuma’s car was specifically targeted in the motorcade.

Political tensions are running high in the lead-up to the polls, in which the ANC is on the brink of dropping below 50 percent of the vote for the first time since it came to power at the end of apartheid in 1994.

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READ ALSO: ‘How Nigeria Can Achieve N10 Trillion Revenue From Knowledge Assets’

The party is bleeding support amid a weak economy and allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

Zuma’s car accident, two months before the vote, has been sparked conspiracy theories across social media.

The driver of the other vehicle is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

When asked how Zuma was, Ndhlela told AFP: “He is in high spirits as always and was in laughter this morning about the accident.

“But it does not mean he took it lightly (or that) he is not aware of what’s happening.”

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“Mr Zuma is in church today praying that the devil does not come into MK,” referring to the ANC.

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