Recently, the former chairman of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Ahmed Ramadan, disclosed that during his tenure the agency entered into a contract agreement with Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, a company linked with Mr Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, a former Niger Delta militant. The contract, reportedly valued at $103million, outsourced part of the security of Niger Delta’s maritime waters and creeks to his company. The contract was signed in 2012 on former president, Goodluck Jonathan’s watch. Based on the agreement, Mr Ekpemupolo’s company allegedly goes home with about N1.6billion every month.
The implication of this is that the protection of that part of Nigeria has been ceded to him to ensure. Experts at the time the contract was signed insisted that it was illegal and unconstitutional, as it encroached on the duties of the Nigerian Navy. Considering the relevance of that region to the economy of Nigeria, many thought it was wrong to have conceded the security of that area to a private company.
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