Traditional rulers and stakeholders from Imo State, particularly in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, have thrown their full support behind the pipeline surveillance operations led by Oweizidei Thomas Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, commending his role in curbing illegal oil bunkering in the area.

According to Andrew Vocor, National Secretary of the Phase One Presidential Amnesty Programme, the presence of Tompolo’s team has drastically reduced pipeline vandalism and fatalities. He noted that while the state once recorded heavy casualties from illegal bunkering, there are now no reported incidents, attributing the turnaround to effective surveillance and local engagement.

Community leaders, including Eze Lucky Remigius Okoro and Chief Tony Ohamara, praised the initiative, highlighting that the surveillance model has empowered indigenous contractors and workers from host communities, which they described as true decentralisation in practice. They also distanced themselves from critics, insisting the arrangement has delivered tangible results in their area.

However, in Rivers State, a coalition of concerned youth groups has taken a different stance, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to decentralise pipeline security contracts across the Niger Delta.

The coalition argued that concentrating surveillance contracts in the hands of a single company is neither fair nor sustainable, stressing that broader community participation would create jobs, reduce crime, and strengthen local accountability. They also urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to clarify and restructure existing contracts to ensure transparency and inclusiveness.

While Imo stakeholders maintain confidence in the current arrangement under Tompolo, the contrasting position from Rivers groups underscores growing debate over how best to manage pipeline security and economic inclusion in the Niger Delta.