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Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has criticised the decision of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company, Mallam Mele Kyari, and President Muhammadu Buhari over the award of pipeline surveillance contracts to ex-militant, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo and others.
Akeredolu disclosed this shortly after Kyari justified the N4billion contract to Tompolo and other private organizations.
Kyari on Tuesday, said it believed it had taken the right decision to hire private contractors to man its oil pipeline network nationwide.
Kyari had argued that although the security agencies were doing their part, end-to-end pipeline surveillance would require the involvement of private entities and community stakeholders.
Kyari also clarified that the contract was not awarded to Tompolo as a person but to a company, he had interests in.
However, Akeredolu in an open letter on Wednesday said the Federal Government’s action reinforced the belief that the whole defence architecture in the country needed an urgent overhaul.
The Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum said the action of the FG also implied that it permitted private security outfits “to bear heavy assault weapons while denying the same privilege to the states, the federating units,” to tackle insecurity.