For many young Nigerians who may not know, Tompolo is not just a name you hear in passing. He is one of the most powerful figures to ever emerge from the Niger Delta, and his story is far from ordinary.

Back in 2005, Tompolo joined the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF), a militant group that took up arms against the Nigerian Army deep within the creeks of the Niger Delta. After gaining experience and influence, he went on to create his own formidable militia — the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). Tompolo didn’t just lead this group; he equipped it with weapons and ammunition, commanding thousands of fighters who launched a fierce campaign against oil companies and government forces. They successfully shut down pipelines, crippled oil production, and held control over vast swathes of the Delta’s waterways.

For years, MEND clashed with the Nigerian military, and despite repeated offensives, the army struggled to overcome them. By 2009, the government under President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua decided negotiation was wiser than war. They offered Tompolo and his fighters amnesty, bringing an uneasy peace to the region and allowing oil companies to resume operations.

The story didn’t end there. In 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari tried to revive the crackdown. He ordered Tompolo’s arrest, hoping to finally put an end to his dominance. Once again, Tompolo’s loyal fighters — popularly known as the Egbesu Boys — stood their ground. The conflict dragged on until Buhari’s government was left with little choice but to return to the negotiating table. Eventually, the federal government reinstated a multi-billion naira security contract with Tompolo — a contract that still exists today.

Beyond militancy, Tompolo holds deep cultural influence. He is the high priest and chief worshipper of the river goddess Egbesu, a spiritual figure that many in the region believe protected him throughout his battles.

Despite his reputation and wealth — he is quietly a billionaire — Tompolo remains rooted in the creeks, far from the public eye. He does not parade on social media, nor does he seek online fame. His power lies in action, not talk. When Tompolo makes a move, it’s real, not for show.

This story is public record. It is not hidden, and it speaks volumes about a man whose legacy still shapes the Niger Delta today.

Anambra State has emerged as the fifth-largest oil-producing state in Nigeria, trailing Akwa-Ibom, Delta, Rivers, and Bayelsa, according to recent data. Notably, our OML 143 Okwuibome oil field in Ogbaru local government area of Anambra state has achieved significant success, presently managed by SEEPCO oil and gas, with its crude oil being highly sought after by refineries in North America, Europe, Asia, South Africa, and Australia due to its low sulfur sweet crude quality. Meanwhile, the Anambra basin, also located in Anambra State and managed by Orient Petroleum, experienced limited production last year.

If you haven’t listened to Akinwumi Adesina’s interview with Rufai Oseni on Arise TV, please do so. I just streamed the full interview, & I’m speechless. Akin is such a force, he is a man of statistics as well. He regurgitated everything that Peter Obi has been saying; everything.

“1. Nigeria must invest in its people.
2. Africa cannot develop with aide.
3. We have the resources in the soil.

4. Trump says it’s AMERICA FIRST.
I don’t have a problem with that.

5. I don’t believe we should beg our way to development. We must develop with pride.

6. Africa has 65% of arable land to feed the world. It’s not in Asia, not in America, not in China. It’s not in any other part of the world.

7. When we have 477 million young people below the age of 35, why should I be worried?

8. The largest renewable sources of energy are in Africa, why should I be worried (when it has to do with energy transition globally)?

8. On electric vehicles: Take lithium batteries for example. Everything you need; from platinum, to cobalt, to graphite, copper & everything you need are in Africa.

9. DRC accounts for 90% of global platinum for mobile phones, lithium batteries. Electric car market will be worth $59 Trillion by 2050. Develop your own manufacturing capacity, so that you’re not selling the raw materials.

10. If I’m selling semi-conductors to you, if I’m something you need; it’s very difficult for you to just wake up, & wave me around like that. The lesson is for African nations to industrialize, & make its purchasing power very high.”

Akin is basically saying FROM CONSUMPTION TO PRODUCTION. That was a Pan Africanist speaking. He is pro-Africa through & through.

Akin is an advocate of purchasing power, AKA (HDI). He said so much, I can’t possibly remember everything now. You guys need to stop the relationship, soups, bigotry & gender wars, & begin to have these conversations.

Africa is on borrowed time, we are in the dying minutes of a unequal match. The world truly left Nigeria behind, we are now a laughing stock globally. Nigerians should be led by the likes of Akin, NOI, Obi; but hey, “let’s continue with the stupid tribalism & the reckless foolishness.”

Nigeria is a goldmine. We have all that we need inside the soil to be great. But we need the focused leadership, who are less corrupt, & people-centric. We need people of integrity (global icons) that will put Nigerians first.

Enough with the Politicking & the Government of Politicians only. Haven’t y’all had enough?

NIGERIANS WAKE UP!

There is the local & international dimension to the Boko Haram & the terrorism ravaging the continent of Africa (especially Nigeria).

The funding, the training & the logistics are coming mostly from the West & the Middle East; the foot soldiers are supplied from right there in my native Nigeria, & the wider Sahel.

It’s a foreign mission with local headquarters.

No Terrorism can carryon for almost two decades without a type of sophistication (a network of endless supply of weapons & funding). Someone must have routes to market to succeed with onboarding such a massive program on such a massive scale. Abacha understood some of these complexities.

The terrorism in Nigeria is nuclear, with many branches. Local champions in Nigeria are not that sophisticated to coordinate & sustain such transnational sabotage on that grand scale (without motivation from external sources).

Wars are expensive, & someone must fund it with hard currency. Foot soldiers must be fed, the war propaganda must be oiled as well.

Religious fanaticism & radicalization are the oxygen, poverty is the cannon fodder. Two peas in a pod; both married each other perfectly. Sabotage added salt to injury.

The multidimensional poverty ravaging Nigeria, alongside the ungoverned spaces up north, are enough motivation for anyone to want to join a group of ragtags. Downplaying the international dimension to an almost 2 decades of nonstop insurgency, is something that I will never do.

Simon Ekpa’s IPOB are not isolated either. The riff raff cannot possibly be the one funding the endless resources he had at his disposable.

A sovereign or conglomerate must have been the muscle directing the orchestra, & arranging the motifs. Simon is not that sophisticated.

Wars are expensive, & someone must fund it.

I have seen enough to know that wherever there is conflict, a whale is paying for it. There is whole economy built around wars & conflict.

Someone somewhere is the beneficiary (pushing their own agenda from behind the scene). It's a perfect collaboration. Nigeria supplies the foot soldiers, the West & the Arabs the funding. In simple language; the Boko Haram is local, the funding is international.