The Arewa Peoples’ Assembly has written an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to remove Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla as Chief of Naval Staff due to allegations of oil theft and economic sabotage.
The Nigerian Navy has been accused of colluding with criminals to steal crude oil in the Niger Delta, hindering the country’s economic growth.
Admiral Ogalla, appointed by President Tinubu in June 2023, has been criticized for failing to address the Navy’s involvement in oil theft.
In the letter to the President signed by Alhaji Auta Balarabe ( Coordinator) and Mallam Basir Gowon ( Director of Orientation and Mobilisation), the Arewa Peoples’ Assembly claimed that under the leadership of Admiral Ogalla, the Navy has compromised its constitutional mandate to protect the nation’s maritime domain.
According to the group, Navy’s involvement in oil theft undermines its ability to safeguard Nigeria’s maritime environment.
The Arewa Peoples’ Assembly therefore demanded the immediate sacking of Admiral Ogalla citing his failure to address the Navy’s involvement in oil theft and they advocated for a change in leadership and a thorough overhaul of the Navy’s structure to ensure accountability and reforms.
They wrote; “We, the Arewa Peoples’ Assembly, at a special session of its council held on the 20th November 2024 and given your bold commitment to reverse the down turns confronting the nations economy through your well intended reforms write from Kaduna, to bring to your attention the unparalleled and unpardonable acts of criminal sabotage foisted by men of the Nigerian Navy who brazenly collude with criminals to steal crude oil in the Niger Delta”.
They said that despite celebrating the milestone of the nascent 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd), Nigeria’s oil production would have toppled the projected 2mbpd target if the Nigerian Navy had complemented the efforts of the adhoc private security organisation saddled to monitor and protect the nation’s pipelines infrastructures.
“Recently, the media was awash with statements credited to Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka, Tompolo, Chairman of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a private security firm involved in oil pipelines surveillance and protection, of the subterranean and complicitous activities of the Nigerian Navy’s involvement in crude oil theft and acts of maritime terrorism and national economic sabotage’, they wrote.
The group added that; “We are further inclined to believe Chief Ekpemupolo because we have become aware of his sense of patriotism deployed in comprehensive security, reporting and management platforms, workspace and extended cloud environment to follow up on this nefarious activities of the Nigerian Navy”.
Here Is The Full Open Letter By The Arewa People’s Assembly To President Tinubu:
OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU GCFR, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC AND COMMANDER – IN – CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF NIGERIA TO IMMEDIATELY REMOVE ADMIRAL EMMANUEL OGALLA AS CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF-
OIL THEFT AND ECONOMIC SABOTAGE: A CASE OF SUBVERSION, DOUBLE STANDARD, COMPLICIT DUPLICITY AND THEFT AGAINST NIGERIA ABLY AIDED BY THE TOP ECHELON OF THE NIGERIAN NAVY.
We, the Arewa Peoples’ Assembly, at a special session of its council held on the 20th November 2024 and given your bold commitment to reverse the down turns confronting the nations economy through your well intended reforms write from Kaduna, to bring to your attention the unparalleled and unpardonable acts of criminal sabotage foisted by men of the Nigerian Navy who brazenly collude with criminals to steal crude oil in the Niger Delta.
We are constrained to write to you as a counter to the ideas enunciated in the geo political North South one way globalisation rationality which holds that problems that affect the south hemisphere do not become mankind’s global problem until they also affect the north and pose a danger to societal order”
The sense of corporate existence promotes the idea that Nigeria functions as a dynamic and multi jointed machine system with various moving parts attached to a central operating device that are linked in many significant ways.
It is therefore in the interest and sanctity of the North to insist that the Nigerian Navy’s continued effort to sustain the fight against crude oil theft have become visibly compromised and undermined.
It is important your Excellency to state that given the oil and gas performance indexes as presently constituted, the Nigeria’s hydrocarbon resources sector account for 55% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 95% of its export earnings.
Despite celebrating the milestone of the nascent 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd), Nigeria’s oil production would have toppled the projected 2mbpd target if the Nigerian Navy had complemented the efforts of the adhoc private security organisation saddled to monitor and protect the nation’s pipelines infrastructures.
The headwinds necessitating the present economic woes are still very much palpable and given the intelligence available to us, the spotlight is on the Nigerian Navy’s involvement in crude oil syndicalism.
Recently, the media was awash with statements credited to Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka, Tompolo, Chairman of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a private security firm involved in oil pipelines surveillance and protection, of the subterranean and complicitous activities of the Nigerian Navy’s involvement in crude oil theft and acts of maritime terrorism and national economic sabotage.
He cited instances where the Nigerian Navy operatives had stalled the arrest of oil thieves and provided security cover for illegal oil activities in the Niger Delta. He has equally asserted and we verily that the Nigerian Navy under the watch of its highest command echelon, funds a big business criminal enterprise which provides reins to unregistered, nondescript illegal vessels to traverse their criminal trade on the nation’s territorial waters.
This is antithetical to the Nigerian Navy’s constitutional mandate of protecting the nation’s maritime domain.
We are further inclined to believe Chief Ekpemupolo because we have become aware of his sense of patriotism deployed in comprehensive security, reporting and management platforms, workspace and extended cloud environment to follow up on this nefarious activities of the Nigerian Navy.
With his private security service factory operated by a dispersed, capable workforces of highly skilled specialists collaborating with digital technologies, it is possible to see this act of sabotage against the government of Nigeria.
It is also imperative to mention that before this present Navy leadership, the Navy had in the past recorded several successes in combating maritime crimes, feats that were globally acknowledged. These include the recovery of stolen oil and the delisting of Nigeria from the list of piracy-prone countries by the International Maritime Bureau. But since the present Naval leadership assumed survey of our territorial waters they seem to be inspired by a different predisposition.
We are further fully aware that several national and international financial organizations, including the World Bank have emphasized the need for Nigeria to increase its OPEC contributory quotas, in order for it to earn forex to grow its ailing economy, and this can’t happen by assumptions but by improved security on all maritime corridors leading to the nation’s oil assets.
RELIEFS SOUGHT
– That the Commander in Chief of the Armed forces of Nigeria should immediately be aware that the activities of the Nigerian Navy, the nation’s flagship of protecting our territorial waters are at variance with his outlined renewed Hope agenda.
– That it is not impossible that this activity of the nigerian navy is targeted at frustrating Your Excellency’s effort to pull this nation from the economic woes many dark years of plunder of her national resources has plunged her.
– That the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla be removed from his offices as he presently looks unwilling to combat the criminal forces that seek to coral the nations territorial waters to enchain it.
– That a multi-faceted approach is required to optimise oil and gas security which must include enhancing inter-agency collaboration, increased transparency, and direct line of communications beteeen the Navy and the private surveillance and monitoring efforts.
– Beyond the change of gaurd requested for the Navy there is the immediate need to overhaul the nigerian navy architecture as it would seem it has deviated ftom its core functions and professionalism.
– As this nation navigates these challenging times – it is essential to prioritize reforms and accountability over sentiments and harbouring those whose mission statement are at cross purposes with the national interest.
In the circumstances, Your Excellency is requested to further direct in the matter
SIGNED:
ALHAJI AUTA BALARABE
COORDINATOR
MALLAM BASIR GOWON
DIRECTOR OF ORIENTATION AND MOBILISATION
