Resolving The Noise Over Oil Assets Surveillance

-By Zik Gbemre

Oil and gas assets surveillance contracts awarded to Tompolo’s TANTITA, Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited run by Matthew Tonlagha, Tompolo’s placeholder, Pipeline Infrastructure Limited owned by Olu of Itsekiri and his late father in- law Hosa Wells Okunbo, including Ocean Marine Solutions (Olu of Itsekiri and In-law) are all duplicated assets surveillance contracts.

Tantita is being managed by Tompolo’s nephew, Kestin Pondi while Ocean Marine Solutions is being managed by Benson Onuwaje, the Olu Atuwatse II’s confidant and inherited by Atuwatse III. We are told these contracts run across Rivers, Bayela and Delta, Ocean Marine Solutions going deeper offshore are all meant to protect pipelines and sundry oil assets.

With too many controversies surrounding these surveillance contracts, FGN and NNPCL owe it a duty to publish the scopes of the contracts for Tantita, Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited, Pipeline Infrastructures Limited and Ocean Marine Solutions that have been enjoying these bloated assets protection contracts for years before the latest awards.

Tantita owned by Tompolo, Maton Engineering also fronting for Tompolo to address Ijaw interests while Pipeline Infrastructures and Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS) are owned by Olu of Itsekiri and his in-laws are to address Itsekiris interests.

These owners and families are enjoying the proceeds of their surveillance contracts while Urhobo ignorant politicians, elite, PGs and youths are kept in limbo fighting one another for pittance that Tomopolo and the Olu of Itsekiri have weaponised to divide and rule Urhobo.

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Urhobo nation has become a war zone among the youths, traditional rulers, politicians, communities President Generals (PGs), elites who now tear themselves apart over piteous crumbs from Tompolo and the Olu of Itsekiri.

Recently there was a publication by UPU in Vanguard Newspaper in which they demanded for Urhobo contractors to be awarded similar major surveillance contracts to protect all oil & gas facilities in Urhoboland. Within 24hours UPU retracted its own published letter. Either they were given peanuts or they threatened President General (PG) of UPU, Chief Ese Gam Owe.

The communities PGs and youths in Urhoboland claimed Tompolo and Tantita engaged over 3,600 youths on surveillance contracts. No emprical evidence to prove such Tompolo’s claim in Urhoboland.

What is wrong if Urhobo contractor is engaged by NNPCL and Federal Government under Tinubu’s APC administration to protect oil and gas facilities in Urhoboland? If Tompolo and Tantita could engage 3,600 Urhobo youths as alleged then an Urhobo contractor if engaged to protect oil and gas facilities in Urhoboland will engage over 100,000 youths.

I pity my Urhobo that can’t talk with one voice to project our own. Urhobo people are so comfortable to be begging neighbors for alms and peanuts. There was nothing wrong in UPU leadership led by Chief Ese Gam Owe demanding that Urhobo contractors be awarded same major surveillance contracts to protect oil & gas facilities in Urhoboland.

Urhobo should love themselves rather than running after pretentious peanuts being given to them by strangers. Awarding major surveillance contracts to Urhobo contractors by FGN and NNPCL in Urhoboland means Urhobo will produce new billionaires. Ijaws and Itsekiris will not fight their brothers and sisters on the pages of papers even if one wrongs the other.

Itsekiri will not fight their brothers and sisters in public if they have issues with another tribe. Has any Ijaw person fought Tompolo and Tantita in the public for their surveillance contracts? Has any Itsekiri person fought Olu of Itsekiri and Benson Onuwaje because of Ocean Marine Solutions and Pipeline Infrastructures surveillance contracts?

Few months ago Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS)/Pipeline Infrastructure Limited and Olu of Itsekiri were given multi-million dollars contract for replacement of pipelines in Utorogu feild in the heart of Urhoboland and was duly represented by an Itsekiri man called Benson Onuwaje and no Urhobo person wrote anything against Olu of Itsekiri and Benson Onuwaje who is Olu’s front.

How much did enemies of Urhobo give ‘Ivie’ Urhobo, communities PGs of Urhobo to attack our people on the surveillance contracts. How much was Pararan, the comedian given by other strangers to attack our Urhobo leaders in his ignorant talk?

We are told Tompolo and Tantita surveillance contract is four billion naira monthly and the contracts runs from Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers. If only two Urhobo politicians collect over two billion naira monthly from Tompolo and Tantita then what will other tribes people collect from the N4b monthly sum and what will Tompolo get as profit from the contract?

FGN and NNPCL should clear the air and give every ethnic group a share of the major surveillance contracts and not to be made sub-contractors under Tantita and Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS)/Pipeline Infrastructures limited. Every oil & gas producing ethnic group in Delta namely Urhobo, Isoko, Ndokwa, Ijaw and Itsekiri should be given major surveillance contracts.

As for the Ijaws and Itsekiris, surveillance contracts were awarded to Tantita and Tompolo and another duplicated surveillance contract awarded to Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS)/Pipeline Infrastructures Ltd and Olu of Itsekiri. Urhobo, Isoko and Ndokwa have right to demand for their own major surveillance contracts and not through Tantita/Tompolo and Ocean Marine Solutions/Olu of Itsekiri.

I call on all enemies of Urhobo to stop using Urhobo youths, communities PGs and traditional rulers to fight Urhobo. I also call on Urhobo traditional rulers,Urhobo communities PGs, youths to stop being used by strangers to fight Urhobo because of peanuts.

We are born Urhobo, not by our choice but by Desire of God. Urhobo shouldn’t render selves available to strangers to divide Urhobo the more because of peanuts.

As for the privileged Urhobo politicians and elites whenever they are given opportunities to help their people they shouldn’t abuse it. Urhobo traditional rulers, Politicians, PGs of communities should wise up and stop being used for their selfish interests against their own Urhobo people.

No person places a gun on any Urhobo person to be used by enemies of Urhobo that are against the overall interest of Urhobo. UPU was built on ‘Urhobo Ovuovo’ which is a popular slogan of our Urhobo ancestors, particularly Mukoro Mowoe, Omorohwovo Okoro and Thomas Erukeme, the founding fathers of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU).

No matter how kind and generous Tompolo is he will do more for his Ijaw tribe before thinking of other tribes. No matter how kind and good is Olu of Itsekiri is he will do more for his Itsekiri people before thinking of other tribes.

Urhobos should wise up and reject strangers from dividing them the more. It is responsibility of every Urhobo son and daughter to develop Urhoboland and Urhobos should stop being used by strangers to create more divisions among Urhobo people for selfish interests and their self ego.

Zik Gbemre
July 19,2025

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