Northern Youths Hail Tompolo’s Role In Pipeline Protection, National Economy

The Northern Youth Progressive Network (NYPN) has commended High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, for his contribution to protecting Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure, describing his intervention as critical to national economic stability.

In a publication by its Directorate of Media and Publicity titled, “The Three Crowns of Tompolo,” made available to journalists in Lafia, the group said Tompolo’s evolution from Niger Delta agitation to national security stakeholder offers a compelling case study on how regional experience can be transformed into national service.
The group said Tompolo, as founder of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), has demonstrated that private-sector-led pipeline surveillance can complement state security architecture in curbing oil theft, vandalism and illegal bunkering.

“A pipeline is not simply a pipeline; it is part of the economic bloodstream of the nation. When pipelines are protected, production is sustained, revenue is secured, jobs are preserved, and energy security is guaranteed,” NYPN stated.

The youth group noted that Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, which accounts for a significant portion of foreign exchange earnings, had for years suffered massive losses to crude theft and sabotage.
It argued that the Federal Government’s engagement with TSSNL was gradually restoring sanity to the sector.

NYPN identified what it called the first two of Tompolo’s “three symbolic crowns” as directly linked to the pipeline question. The first, the Crown of Struggle, represents resilience and advocacy for community interests drawn from the complex history of the Niger Delta. The second, the Crown of National Security, represents responsibility for protecting critical national assets.

The group said the convergence of both crowns – struggle that produces wisdom and influence that produces responsibility – is what has made the pipeline protection model effective.

“High Chief Tompolo stands at the intersection of history and responsibility. His experience in the creeks has become an asset in securing them. What was once seen as a regional agitation has become a national security solution,” the statement said.

NYPN added that Northern Nigeria’s interest in a Niger Delta figure underscores the national character of oil and gas infrastructure. It stated that insecurity around pipelines does not respect tribe or religion, and that national assets must be protected through cooperation beyond regional lenses.

The group urged the Federal Government to sustain support for community-based surveillance models and to strengthen collaboration between private security contractors and conventional security agencies.

“The Nigerian project belongs to everyone. Oil and gas installations may be located in one region, but their survival sustains the entire federation. Dialogue, inclusion and shared responsibility must guide how we protect them,” NYPN concluded.