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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Angry youths from the Nembe and Brass local government areas of Bayelsa State on Monday staged a protest against the incomplete payment of allowances by one of Anti-crude oil theft surveillance contractors, Kojo Sam Logistics Limited, leading to the seizure of patrol boats belonging to the company in the area.
Our correspondent gathered that while over 2,000 youths engaged in Bayelsa State by the state coordinator of the Tantita Security Services owned by the former militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, were paid N200,000 monthly allowance for the job, the aggrieved boys attached to Kojo Sam Logistics Limited were paid N50,000.
Investigations showed that despite the existing agreement between the chief executive officer of Kojo Sam Logistics Limited, Chief Kojo Sam, and the youths over the payment of N100, 000 monthly, in order to accommodate more youths in the crude oil pipeline surveillance jobs, the company paid them N50, 000 instead of the agreed N100,000.
The aggrieved youths, mainly from Okpoama town in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, in a protest against the shortage in payment seized the boats and threatened to set them ablaze.
A source told newsmen in Yenagoa that the angry youths, who are from the same community with the minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, accused Chief Kojo Sam of reneging on the existing agreement and short-changing them in the monthly payment for their oil pipeline surveillance jobs.
One of the angry youths, Miebi, 34 years old, however blamed the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, for allegedly awarding the oil surveillance component for his own community to an outsider instead of an Okpoama person, “Each worker was to be paid N200, 000 but the youths had agreed with Kojo Sam Logistics Ltd to pay N100, 000 each to be able to accommodate more youths in the community.
“But instead of paying them the sum of N100, 000.00 as resolved, the company decided to pay N50, 000 a month to each of them” he alleged.
The youths has however dragged all the company boats to land, warning that nobody will touch the boats until the money is fully paid. The ugly development is threatening the peace and security in Okpoama community.
When newsmen contacted the Bayelsa Office of the Tantita Security Service, officials working with the Coordinator, Great Joshua Machiver, declined comment. But a source told newsmen that N200, 000 was the minimum pay per personnel in Tantita Security services as approved by Tompolo.
“The Tompolo’s owned Tantita Security Services (Bayelsa Operations) headed by Great Joshua Maciver has paid the sum of N200,000 each to about 2000 staff deployed to various units for pipeline surveillance and to also curb the activities of illegal oil refineries in Bayelsa State. Some coordinators smile home with five to ten million and Tantita is not owing any staff as recruitment into various units of the surveillance job is still ongoing as the work progresses.”
Several attempts to reach the management of the Kojo Sam Logistics failed as phone calls and text messages were not answered. But a source told newsmen that attempts are being made to settle the issue of short-payments.
