The Federal Government has described as false reports that it had terminated the 10 year-contract awarded to ex-militant Chief Government Ekpmuopolo,(Tompolo) through his company, Global West by Nigerian Maritime Safety Agency (NIMASA).
This clarification was made by Dr Dakuku Peterside, the Director-General of NIMASA and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State in the 2015 election, during a media chat in Port Harcourt.
According to Peterside, “NIMASA and Global West still have subsisting Public, Private Partnership (PPP) agreement for it to supply NIMASA Vessels which it will pay back over a period of 10 years.”
“In addition to supplying NIMASA vessels, the company is also to help NIMASA in the enforcement of its responsibilities offshore and the revenue that is derivable from that enforcement of responsibilities offshore will be shared between NIMASA and Global West as a partner, who invested money to acquire assets.”
Peterside explained further that the details of the contract with Global West include acquiring assets for NIMASA like security boats, intervention vessels, helicopters and others, and after that the company will be paid within a period of 10 years.
“The contract is still subsisting till now. It has not been cancelled. It was not terminated. I will continue to say that there was nothing wrong with that model but that model was abused and it is subject to investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”
He also clarified that the contract awarded to a company called SNECO was not a replacement of the contract awarded to Tompolo’s company but that the contract given to SNECO was to help the agency recover over 400 million dollars debt owed NIMASA and also to help enhance the revenue for the agency.
Some political analysts of the oil politics in the Niger Delta have linked the remote and immediate causes for the upsurge of criminal sabotage of the crude oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region by various militant groups in Delta and Bayelsa states to the hunt for Tompolo by the Federal Government over allegation of shady deals with some former top officers of NIMASA.
Peterside also dismissed allegations that the APC chairman in Rivers State, Dr Davis Ikanya is the owner of SNECO.
“He is not a director in SNECO; he is not a shareholder and he is not on the board of SNECO. So, what is the connection between the APC chairman and the company?”
Tompolo had been declared wanted by the EFCC in connection with fraudulent dealings between his company, Global West and NIMASA officials during the immediate past administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
