A CRITICAL LOOK AT ENEWARIDIDEKE EKANPOU'S DEFENSIVE PORTRAIT OF TOMPOLO AND TANTITA SECURITY SERVICES NIGERIA LIMITED

By: Ebikabowei Kedikumo

Enewaridideke Ekanpou’s  article, “Tompolo’s ‘Manumission’ Mission, the Ironies and the Joys of Life,” published in the Vanguard  of 25 August 2026, is an emphatic defence of High Chief Dr Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, and Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited. The essay presents Tompolo not merely as a public figure, but as a freedom fighter, benefactor, and defender of the Niger Delta. Through hard-hitting language, sharp contrasts, and rich figurative expressions, Ekanpou builds a wall of defence around Tompolo’s name and reputation. His central argument is that those who attack Tompolo and Tantita are often driven by envy, betrayal, ignorance, and selfish ambition, while those who praise them are guided by truth, gratitude, and moral understanding. In this way, the narrative becomes more than a comment on one man; it becomes a study of loyalty, public memory, political conflict, and the struggle for recognition.

It is worth noting that Ekanpou uses the language of “manumission”  to present Tompolo’s activities as a mission of liberation. The word “manumission” means  release from slavery, emancipation , freedom from bondage, and in the narrative, it suggests the liberation of Niger Deltans from oppression, neglect, exploitation, and underdevelopment. This choice of word gives Tompolo a heroic image. He is represented as one who has walked through the thorns of struggle so that others may find a clearer path. The Niger Delta is shown as a region once trapped in the chains of developmental slavery, while Tompolo is presented as one of those who fought to break those chains. Through this framing, Ekanpou does not describe Tompolo as an ordinary contractor or security operator; rather, he lifts him into the symbolic position of an emancipator. Tantita Security Services is also placed within this larger story of protection, service, and national usefulness, especially in relation to the fight against oil theft and the defence of public resources.

Moreover, Ekanpou’s rhetoric depends greatly on the opposition between “haulers”  and “hailers.”  These two terms form the backbone of the essay’s critical discourse. The “haulers” are those who attack, accuse, condemn, and attempt to pull Tompolo down, while the “hailers” are those who praise, defend, and recognise his achievements. This contrast gives the narrative a dramatic movement, almost like a public court where two groups stand on opposite sides of the room. Ekanpou describes the haulers with harsh images:-- they throw stones, spread lies, carry deadwood from door to door, and behave like ravenous wolves. On the other hand, the hailers are linked with truth, construction, loyalty, and awakening. By arranging the discourse in this manner, Ekanpou guides the reader’s sympathy towards Tompolo and Tantita. The haulers appear as agents of destruction, while the hailers appear as witnesses of truth. Thus, the language is not neutral; it becomes a shield, a sword, and a lamp used to defend Tompolo’s public image and reputation.

In addition, the narrative makes strong use of figurative and moral language to condemn betrayal. Ekanpou presents those who once benefited from Tompolo but later turned against him as modern-day Judas figures. This set of people are frequently seen across social media, national television, and print media launching daily attacks against Tompolo. This biblical comparison is important because Judas Iscariot is widely seen as the image of betrayal, false friendship, and moral failure. By using this image, Ekanpou turns political disagreement into a moral question. The hailer who becomes a hauler is not merely someone with a different opinion; he becomes, in the writer’s view, an ungrateful betrayer.

The narrative also uses medical imagery, comparing such people to a plague more dangerous than COVID-19 and Ebola. Although this language is highly emotional, it strengthens the writer’s defensive purpose. It makes the enemies of Tompolo appear sick and diseased in thought and poisoned in intention. Therefore, the discourse moves from political defence to moral judgement, showing Tompolo as the steady tree while his critics are presented as storms of envy beating against him.

Furthermore, Ekanpou uses irony as a major tool of persuasion. The essay argues that the attacks against Tompolo and Tantita do not destroy them; instead, they make them more visible. This is the “irony” and “joy” of life in the title. The haulers think they are burying Tompolo’s reputation, but according to Ekanpou, they are actually watering the tree of his public honour. Every attack becomes a kind of advertisement; every accusation becomes an opportunity for his supporters to restate his achievements. In this sense, conflict becomes promotion, and opposition becomes publicity. He suggests that without these constant quarrels between haulers and hailers, Tompolo’s story might have been swept into obscurity. Therefore, the essay turns criticism into unintended praise. Like a drum beaten by hostile hands but still producing music for the hero, the attacks on Tompolo are presented as helping to spread the story of his work and relevance.

Ekanpou’s narrative is a carefully shaped rhetoric of defence that represents Tompolo and Tantita Security Services as forces of liberation, protection, and development. Through contrast, metaphor, irony, biblical allusion, and moral judgement, the he constructs Tompolo as a misunderstood but heroic figure whose sacrifices for the Niger Delta should not be forgotten. The haulers are portrayed as voices of envy and betrayal, while the hailers are presented as voices of truth and gratitude. Although the essay is deeply supportive and openly partisan, it remains a rich text for critical discourse analysis because it shows how language can defend reputation, shape public memory, and turn political controversy into symbolic victory. In this narrative, Tompolo stands like a canoe that has crossed troubled waters, while Tantita becomes one of the paddles through which service, security, and recognition are carried towards the shore of public approval.