Tompolo’s contract intact, Peterside insists

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside, has denied cancelling the contact awarded to a former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo.

Peterside also denied that the same contract was awarded to the Rivers State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Davies Ikanya.

The NIMASA DG stated this in Port Harcourt at the weekend, adding that though the contract is still intact, it became the subject of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, investigation because the model of the contract was abused.

Peterside said: “The contract is you, Global West, go and acquire assets for NIMASA. Acquire security boats, acquire intervention vessels and acquire helicopters.

“When you acquire all those things, we will pay you back within a period of ten years. Now, you help us in the enforcement and whatever revenue you generate above what we are earning now, it will be shared between Global West and NIMASA”.

According to him, what the agency awarded another company, Sneco Financial Services, is different from Tompolo’s, insisting that it is still subsisting, while also explaining that Sneco has nothing to do with Ikanya, as he is not a shareholder or on the board of the company.

“That is a different contract and it is still subsisting till now. It has not been cancelled. It was not terminated. I will continue to say that there was nothing wrong with that model but that model was abused and it is subject to investigation by the EFCC.

“What was given to Sneco is debt recovery and revenue enhancement. That is a different contract.
“The APC Chairman in Rivers State is not a director in Sneco. He is not a shareholder and he is not on the board of Sneco.

“So, what is the connection between the APC Chairman in Rivers State and Sneco Financial Services?”

It would be recalled that there had been reports that NIMASA had terminated Tompolo’s contract and awarded same to a company in which the Rivers APC chairman has an interests.

The allegation also attracted the attention of the Senate, which insisted that a public hearing will be conducted to unravel the truth about the award of the contract to Sneco. The lawmakers also demanded documentary evidence on the pedigree of the company and its owners.