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The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre has questioned the Nigerian National Petroleum Company over its decision to award a N48bn contract annually to an ex-militant, Mr. Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, for surveillance of the national pipeline facilities.
In a statement signed by CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the group expressed worry over the ripple effect of the contract on the drive for good governance in the country.
The statement titled, ‘Pipeline Surveillance Contract: Cislac/TI-Nigeria Worried Over The Ripple Effect On The Drive For Good Governance’ was made available to The PUNCH on Monday.
Rafsanjani outlined some questions concerning Tompolo’s personality concerning the weighty contract he received from the Federal Government.
The group asked, “In February 2016, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission declared Mr. Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo the beneficiary of the purported contract, as a wanted person as is still reflected as such on their website. And here another agency acting on behalf of the same government had not only found him but went ahead to issue him with a huge contract worth such a fortune. So how are we really faring in the supposedly anti-corruption war in Nigeria?
“What is the value of the investments and allocations made from the national treasury to the numerous security paraphernalia in Nigeria if an ex-militant is seen to be more competent to deliver on security issues than the entire armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
“Who oversighted the procurement process of this award? Were there bids and what process led to his emergence on this award or is our bureau of public procurement also an incompetent institution that couldn’t deliver on a free and equitable process?
“On the other hand, Doesn’t the law have clear stipulations on contract awards in Nigeria?
“On August 26 2022, it was published that a rival group came up to threaten the feasibility of the execution of the contract for the reasons of lack of consultation before choosing who the government choose for the job and thereby threating the propensity to deliver on the expected result as anticipated by Mr. Kyari in his statement.
“Why is it still unclear on the status of NNPCltd? Is it still an agency of government given a contract on behalf of the government or a commercial entity that should be running their cost based on performance and have their operation approved by the governing board of that establishment?”
The group then called on the government to “stop paying lip service to security issues and strategically work the numerous outfits within the security architecture in the country and proffer a lasting solution to the problem as these makeshift arrangements will only breed future challenges to the system.”
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