“Niger Delta Is Bleeding, Katsina Is Campaigning!” — Tompolo Takes Wealth To Katsina As Ijaw Communities Cry For Hospitals, Jetties And unpaid Amnesty Stipends

By Passman Akpos

The growing political and economic activities surrounding High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, have triggered renewed criticism over what some Niger Delta voices describe as a disturbing disconnect between the resources generated from the region and the conditions of the communities from which those resources originate.

Apostle Comrade Ezekiel Daniel Perela, in a fresh video statement, accused Tompolo and associates of allegedly prioritising personal and political interests over the welfare of Ijaw and Niger Delta communities.

Perela’s central question was blunt: if billions of naira can be mobilised for political activities thousands of kilometres away in Northern Nigeria, why are communities in the Niger Delta still struggling with basic healthcare, transportation infrastructure and educational support?

His comments came after reports emerged that Tompolo had donated campaign vehicles to coordinators of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement across Katsina State’s 34 local government areas to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.

Tompolo was represented at the vehicle handover ceremony by Tantita Managing Director, High Chief Engr. Kestin Ebimorbowe Pondi, PhD.

For Perela, the development represents what he described as an embarrassing example of misplaced priorities.

He argued that the political support being demonstrated outside the Niger Delta raises serious questions about whether the enormous economic opportunities associated with the region are translating into meaningful improvements for ordinary Ijaw people.

“Our People Are Suffering While Billions Are Spent On Politics”

Perela contrasted the Katsina political mobilisation with the worsening conditions he said residents are facing in parts of the Niger Delta.

He particularly cited the situation in Ogulagha, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, which he identified as Tompolo’s maternal community.

According to him, women and youths in the area have been protesting over inadequate healthcare facilities following the reported death of a pregnant woman and her child during childbirth.

The protests have generated wider debate about the availability of doctors, electricity, healthcare infrastructure and other basic amenities in riverine communities.

Perela questioned the logic of travelling from the creeks of the Niger Delta to Katsina to support political mobilisation while communities closer to home continue to demand basic services.

«“It is so shameful and disheartening that Tompolo could go all the way from our creek to far North in Katsina State to do eye service by wasting our common sweat running into billions of naira,” he said.»

He accused Tompolo and his associates of failing to demonstrate sufficient concern for the communities from which, according to him, they have benefited economically and politically.

“Charity Begins At Home”

The criticism also extended to Tompolo’s brothers and associates whom Perela identified as Dennis, Kestin and Tare.

He argued that the first responsibility of influential Niger Delta figures should be addressing the problems confronting their own people.

Perela invoked the popular saying that “charity begins at home,” asking why political and financial attention could allegedly be directed outside the region while riverine communities continue to struggle with basic infrastructure.

The criticism comes against the backdrop of longstanding complaints from riverine communities over poor roads, collapsed jetties, inadequate healthcare, electricity shortages and limited access to social infrastructure.

Vehicles donated by Tompolo

In Inikorogha Federated Community in the ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Youth President Comrade Junior Felix P. Ejoh recently appealed for urgent government intervention over a collapsed jetty.

Ejoh said the facility is essential to youths, traders, fishermen, students and other residents who depend on water transportation for their daily activities.

He called on the Delta State Government, Niger Delta Development Commission, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission and other intervention agencies to urgently reconstruct the jetty.

The situation illustrates the broader infrastructural crisis confronting several riverine communities where waterways remain the principal transportation routes.

AMNESTY STUDENTS: “DO NOT LET US DIE IN SCHOOL”

Perela also linked his criticism to the reported hardship being experienced by beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

Students under the PAP scholarship scheme, through the National Association of Presidential Amnesty Students Worldwide, have raised concerns over alleged delays in the payment of stipends.

The students alleged that some beneficiaries have gone between five and nine months without receiving stipends, leaving some struggling to meet basic educational and living expenses.

They have appealed to PAP Administrator, Chief Dennis Brutus Otuaro, to urgently address the payment situation.

Perela used the issue to question why, in his view, political activities could receive substantial financial attention while young Niger Deltans benefiting from an intervention programme allegedly struggle to remain in school.

The contrast, he argued, should force Ijaw people to reconsider how they assess the activities of influential political and business figures from the region.

PERELA REOPENS OLD ALLEGATIONS

The outspoken critic also revisited his previous allegations concerning Tompolo’s alleged influence over individuals who have criticised him.

Perela claimed that people sometimes change their positions after allegedly coming under pressure or lobbying.

He further alleged that individuals of lower status could face intimidation when they express views critical of Tompolo.

These claims remain allegations and were not independently established in the material supplied for this report.

Perela also referenced previous allegations concerning individuals he identified as Censor Olumba, Charles Kurobo, Kareowei Bala and Abraham Abraye.

He claimed that his advocacy and campaigns contributed to the release of some persons he alleged had been detained.

Those claims would require independent verification and responses from the persons named, their families, relevant security agencies and Tompolo or his representatives.

“NOBODY CAN CHANGE THE FACTS ON THE GROUND”

Perela maintained that even if individuals previously critical of Tompolo later change their positions, such changes would not, in his view, erase what he described as existing problems in the Niger Delta.

His argument was that public attention should move beyond personalities and focus on the conditions of ordinary people.

That argument resonates particularly strongly in riverine communities where residents continue to demand functional jetties, hospitals, electricity, potable water, roads and other basic amenities.

The situation in Burutu has become particularly emotive following protests over healthcare.

Residents have demanded improved medical services, while Burutu Local Government Chairman, Hon. Chief Dr. Julius Takeme, has said the council is engaging the relevant state authorities.

Takeme has also maintained that the posting of doctors falls primarily under the Delta State Hospitals Management Board and said Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had directed renovation of the General Hospital, Burutu.

The chairman has urged residents and political actors not to exploit the tragedy for political purposes.

THE ₦10 BILLION QUESTION

Perela also criticised the reported ₦10 billion donation to the Delta State Government in 2025, describing it as another example of spending that, in his assessment, failed to produce sufficient benefits for ordinary people.

He questioned what tangible projects could be pointed to as evidence of the impact of such a huge intervention.

Whether such funding produced measurable development is ultimately a matter that should be established through publicly available financial records, project documents and independent verification.

But the controversy exposes a larger problem: Niger Delta communities are increasingly demanding to know exactly where intervention money goes and what ordinary citizens receive in return.

“LOOK AROUND THE RIVERINE COMMUNITIES”

Perela urged Ijaw people to look beyond political speeches, endorsements and publicity campaigns and examine the actual condition of their communities.

He argued that political influence should translate into hospitals, schools, jetties, electricity, clean water, economic opportunities and other measurable improvements.

His message was particularly directed at Ijaw youths, whom he urged to scrutinise the activities of those claiming to represent or defend Niger Delta interests.

According to him, the question should no longer be simply who is supporting President Tinubu or who controls a particular contract.

Rather, he argued, the more important question is:

What has the ordinary Ijaw man gained?

IS THE NIGER DELTA BENEFITING FROM ITS OWN WEALTH?

That question now sits at the centre of the growing controversy

For decades, Niger Delta communities have complained that enormous wealth is extracted from their environment while many host communities remain characterised by poverty, environmental degradation and inadequate infrastructure.

The latest controversy has given that grievance a new political dimension.

Critics argue that if billions of naira can allegedly be deployed for political mobilisation outside the region, influential Niger Delta stakeholders should equally demonstrate the capacity and willingness to address urgent needs at home.

Supporters of Tompolo, however, may argue that his political activities and business interests are separate from the responsibilities of governments and public intervention agencies.

That distinction is important.

Tompolo is not the government of Delta State, nor is he the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Questions concerning healthcare, education, electricity and public infrastructure ultimately involve different levels of government and public institutions.

But the criticism being raised by Perela is not simply about formal responsibility.@It is about influence, priorities and expectations

THE IJAW PEOPLE MUST ASK HARD QUESTIONS

The emerging debate should therefore not be reduced to whether one individual is good or bad.

The more fundamental issue is whether the Niger Delta’s political and economic elite are delivering enough measurable benefits to the communities whose struggles they frequently invoke.

If influential figures can mobilise enormous resources for political causes, critics say they should also be challenged to explain why riverine communities still struggle to access functioning hospitals, safe jetties, electricity and other basic necessities.

The collapsed Inikorogha jetty, the healthcare protests in Burutu and complaints from Amnesty Programme students provide a stark picture of communities demanding attention.

For Perela, the Katsina campaign vehicles have therefore become more than political equipment.

They have become a symbol of what he sees as a painful contradiction:

resources flowing outward while the people at home continue crying for help.

His warning to Ijaw people is ultimately a call for greater scrutiny.

Political endorsements, contracts, campaign vehicles and public appearances, he argued, should not blind citizens to the more important question of development.

If the Niger Delta is truly being represented, where are the hospitals? Where are the functional jetties? Where are the schools? Where is the electricity? Where are the jobs? And where is the measurable improvement in the lives of ordinary Ijaw people?

Those are questions that cannot be answered by campaign posters or political slogans.

They can only be answered by visible development on the ground.

TOMPOLO’S RESPONSE

As of the time of filing this report, no response from Tompolo was included in the material supplied for publication regarding Perela’s latest allegations.

Tarakirivoice News could not independently verify the more serious allegations contained in Perela’s statement and presents them as claims made by him.

Any response from Tompolo, Tantita Security Services, the Presidential Amnesty Programme, the Delta State Government or other persons mentioned will be given due prominence.