
By Foster Obi
High Chief (Dr.) Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, on Sunday publicly congratulated the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on his 58th birthday. He described him as a leader whose public life continues to reflect courage, conviction, and an unwavering sense of duty.
In the message issued on behalf of the leadership and staff of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), Tompolo said Wike’s journey through public service, marked by legal brilliance, political audacity, and firm decision-making, has consistently demonstrated that true leadership is defined by impact, not rhetoric.
He noted that from Wike’s formative years in public administration through his tenure as Governor of Rivers State and now as FCT Minister, his performance has remained anchored on results, resilience, and a relentless commitment to public good.
Among other things, he eulogized Wike as “Mr Projects,” his massively felt presence at the FCT while praying for renewed strength, good health, sharper vision, and continued success in all his assignments.
Analysts believe that while the message read like a simple goodwill note between two Niger Delta sons but in Nigeria’s oil-soaked politics, such gestures are not mere words. They are signals carefully calibrated, deeply political, and often loaded with meaning.
Tompolo’s birthday message also praised Wike’s “courage, leadership, and unwavering commitment to national development.” Coming from one of the most powerful non-state actors in Nigeria’s oil security architecture, the message was not just personal; it was political communication.
Both men hail from the Niger Delta, a region where oil, grievance, and politics intersect with unusual intensity. Wike, a former Rivers State governor and now one of the most influential ministers in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, is known for his blunt political style and extensive power networks. Tompolo, once the face of armed resistance in the creeks, has reinvented himself as a central player in Nigeria’s oil security ecosystem.
In that context, the birthday salute served as a public acknowledgement of mutual relevance. For Tompolo, it reinforced access, symbolic and practical to the corridors of federal power. For Wike, it underscored his continued acceptability among key Niger Delta stakeholders whose cooperation remains essential to oil production stability.
Tompolo’s influence today rests largely on Tantita, the private security firm contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to provide pipeline surveillance across major oil-producing corridors in the Niger Delta.
Since its engagement, Tantita has been credited by government officials and industry insiders with contributing to improved crude oil output by helping curb large-scale theft, illegal tapping, and vandalism. Nigeria’s production recovery from historic lows has frequently been linked to tighter surveillance and community-based intelligence, an area where Tantita’s local roots give it an edge.
Yet the model is not without controversy. Critics argue that outsourcing critical national infrastructure protection to private firms, especially those linked to former militant leaders, risks entrenching patronage and weakening institutional accountability. Supporters counter that conventional security agencies failed for years, and that pragmatic solutions are required in difficult terrain.
Tompolo’s birthday message to Wike, therefore, sits within this delicate balance: affirming loyalty to the state while reminding Abuja of the value Tantita brings to the table.
Echoes of the Jonathan years
The dynamics are not new. During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, another Niger Delta son, Tompolo enjoyed unprecedented influence. His company, Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, was engaged by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to provide maritime security services under a public-private partnership arrangement.
That era represented a high point of state-ex-militant collaboration. Tompolo was seen as a stabilising force, ensuring calm in the creeks and protecting oil and maritime assets. But it was also politically contentious. When President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015, the Global West arrangement was terminated, amid allegations of impropriety and a broader effort to dismantle Jonathan-era patronage structures.
The lesson was clear: proximity to power matters but only for as long as the power configuration holds.
It is against this historical backdrop that Tompolo’s latest gesture should be read. The birthday message is a reminder that he has learned the cost of political isolation and now prioritises relationship-building across administrations.
Tompolo has never hidden his loyalty to Jonathan. During the turbulent election cycles that followed, he openly aligned with Niger Delta interests, even as militancy simmered and later gave way to the federal government’s amnesty framework.
What has changed is the method, not the objective. Where armed agitation once dominated, today’s strategy is engagement, symbolism,a nd economic relevance. Publicly acknowledging powerful figures like Wike serves to position Tompolo not as a rebel at the gates, but as a stakeholder within the system.
The birthday message, therefore, is part of a broader recalibration, a signal that Tompolo is invested in stability, partnership , and continuity.
Ijaw Welfare and grassroots legitimacy
Beyond contracts and politics lies another layer: community legitimacy. Tompolo remains a revered figure among many Ijaw communities, where he is seen as both protector and benefactor. Through employment opportunities, local surveillance networks, and informal welfare interventions, Tantita has become an economic lifeline in some riverine areas.
By maintaining visibility and relevance at the federal level, Tompolo strengthens his ability to deliver benefits back home, reinforcing a social contract that underpins peace in the creeks.
In this sense, the birthday message also speaks to his base. It reassures supporters that their leader remains connected, heard, and influential in Abuja.
Nigeria’s oil security architecture remains fragile, shaped as much by relationships as by rules. In such an environment, symbolic gestures carry weight. Tompolo’s message to Wike is one such signal, a quiet affirmation of alignment, a hedge against political uncertainty, and a reminder of the enduring role of Niger Delta power brokers.
Whether this translates into expanded influence, contract renewals, or deeper political cooperation remains to be seen.