Human rights activist and Niger Delta advocate, Freeborn Abraye, has warned that terminating the pipeline surveillance contract handled by Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, could plunge thousands of youths in the Niger Delta back into unemployment, poverty and criminal activities.
Abraye made the statement while reacting to growing calls from certain political interests urging Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cancel the pipeline protection contract currently executed by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.
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According to him, such a move would reverse the fragile peace that has been painstakingly built across the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta.
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“The President must understand that terminating the pipeline surveillance contract of High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo, will amount to pushing thousands of Niger Delta youths back into hunger and starvation,” Abraye said.
He stressed that the unemployment crisis in the Niger Delta remains one of the region’s most pressing challenges, adding that the engagement of local youths by Tantita Security Services has provided a legitimate source of livelihood for thousands who would otherwise be vulnerable to crime.
“The problem of unemployment in the Niger Delta is massive. For decades, young people in the region have struggled to find legitimate opportunities for survival. Today, the pipeline surveillance initiative under Tantita has become one of the most effective grassroots economic interventions in the region,” he said.
Abraye noted that the initiative has significantly reduced incidents of oil theft, pipeline vandalism, piracy and other criminal activities that once plagued the oil-rich region.
“Thousands of young men and women who were previously idle now have structured employment. They are protecting national assets while earning a legitimate income. This has drastically reduced the crime rate across several communities,” he explained.
He warned that cancelling the contract could reopen old wounds that had already begun to heal.
“Ending the contract will simply reopen the wounds of unemployment that have been carefully stitched up through Tompolo’s initiative. When people lose the only source of survival available to them, desperation follows,” Abraye stated.
The activist further urged President Tinubu to resist pressure from individuals and groups calling for the cancellation of the contract, describing such voices as politically motivated.
“The President should ignore calls from unscrupulous elements and self-serving politicians demanding the termination of this contract. Many of them do not understand the delicate security dynamics of the Niger Delta or the role local participation plays in sustaining peace,” he said.
According to Abraye, the current level of peace, security and stability recorded in the region cannot be separated from the pipeline surveillance operations coordinated by Tompolo.
“The present peace in the Niger Delta did not happen by accident. It is the result of strategic engagement with local stakeholders, and Tompolo has played a central role in sustaining that stability,” he added.
Abraye therefore called on the Federal Government to strengthen, rather than dismantle, initiatives that empower local communities while protecting critical national infrastructure.
“The Federal Government must consolidate on the progress already made. Any policy decision that threatens the livelihood of thousands of Niger Delta youths risks destabilizing the region again,” he warned.
He concluded by emphasizing that preserving economic opportunities for the youth remains one of the most effective strategies for maintaining lasting peace in the Niger Delta.