For turning conflict into cooperation, and militancy into meaningful development, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) is...
Chief Ekpemupolo: Social Impact Person of the Year 2025
High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, better known as Tompolo, did not emerge from ambition but from necessity. Born on April 12, 1971, in Okerenkoko, the mangrove stronghold of Gbaramatu Kingdom, his formative years were shaped by the sharp contradictions of the Niger Delta -- a land flowing with oil wealth yet weighed down by neglect, pollution, and exclusion. Raised by Chief Thomas Osen Ekpemupolo and Mrs. Ewe Ekpemupolo, he grew up witnessing how prosperity generated from his homeland bypassed its people. That lived injustice became his earliest education, forging a resolve that would later propel him from an obscure creek settlement to the centre of Nigeria's most consequential resource struggle.
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His defining moment came in 1996, when the military government relocated the headquarters of Warri South-West Local Government Area from Ogbe-Ijoh to Ogidigben, a move widely seen as an affront to Ijaw identity and political equity. Tompolo responded not with silence, but sacrifice -- selling his homes, boats, and prized Mercedes Benz V-Boot to bankroll resistance against the decision. The eventual reversal of the policy under President Olusegun Obasanjo marked his first major victory and cemented his emergence as a formidable voice in the Niger Delta. From there, he rose to prominence within the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), articulating a message that resonated far beyond the creeks: the demand was not chaos, but justice. That struggle reached a historic turning point in 2009 when he embraced the Presidential Amnesty Programme, laying down arms and persuading others to do the same -- a decision that helped halt years of militancy and opened a path to dialogue, stability, and reconstruction.
Today, Tompolo's legacy is defined less by confrontation than by consolidation. Through Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, in partnership with NNPCL, he has helped safeguard Nigeria's oil infrastructure, drastically curbing theft and illegal refining while restoring production and public revenue. Thousands of former agitators and local youths now earn lawful livelihoods under a community-driven security model that has turned conflict zones into corridors of cooperation. Beyond security, his quiet philanthropy -- scholarships, healthcare interventions, flood relief, and support for the Nigeria Maritime University -- underscores a deeper transformation. Once branded an outlaw, he has become a custodian of peace, culture, and development. In that journey from militancy to nation-building, Tompolo stands as a rare Nigerian testament: that reconciliation can be powerful, that redemption can be productive, and that even from the most marginalised creeks can rise a figure who reshapes a nation's destiny.
It would be recalled that LEADERSHIP, in November 2025, unveiled its 2025 awardees, with Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, emerging as the Person of the Year 2025.
According to the LEADERSHIP Board of Editors, despite the country being on the brink of another election year, there was no winner for the Politician of the Year award.
Six governors, comprising Uba Sani (Kaduna), Abiodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Hope Uzodimma(Imo State), and Abdulahi Sule (Nasarawa), emerged as Governors of the Year.
The governors earned the award for "diligently focusing on the implementation of programmes and policies that transformed lives in their respective states."
Governor Abiodun Oyebanji clinched the Governor of the Year 2025 award for his people-centred leadership that has transformed Ekiti State through inclusive governance.
Governor Dauda Lawal won the award for his unwavering commitment to restoring security, as well as his massive investment in education, healthcare, and infrastructure, which have repositioned Zamfara on the path of peace, progress, and sustainable development.
Governor Uba Sani emerged Governor of the Year 2025 for his inclusive and reconciliatory leadership that unites people across divides in Kaduna, while
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori clinched the award for his visionary 'MORE Agenda' that has redefined governance in Delta State through peace, inclusion, and pragmatic reform.
Governor Abdullahi Sule won the award for focusing on infrastructure and human capital development.
The Banker of the Year Award went to the Managing Director/CEO of Development Bank of Nigeria, Dr Tony Okpanachi, for pioneering inclusive finance through innovation and integrity, and for empowering over 700,000 MSMEs. Meanwhile, Providus Bank clinched the Bank of the Year award for its contributions to digital transformation and innovation in financial services.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) was named Government Agency of the Year for expanding Nigeria's enforcement frontiers and recovering over N10 billion for consumers.
The Leadership Environmental Impact Agency of the Year award was presented to the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for championing sustainable industrialisation, renewable energy, and climate-friendly technologies that reduce carbon emissions and promote clean power solutions.
Green Energy International Limited (GEIL) won the Oil and Gas Local Content Champion of the Year 2025 for pioneering the development and operation of Nigeria's first onshore crude export terminal.
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Other winners include Fintech Company of the Year, won by OPay for revolutionising digital finance through inclusion; Product of the Year, Nestle's Pure Life; and Company of the Year, Trade Modernisation Project.
Mrs Mabel Ijeoma Duaka and Dr Seidu Adebayo Bello jointly won the Primary Healthcare Model of the Year award. At the same time, the Outstanding Young Person Award went to David Adeyemi for nurturing innovation, empathy and excellence by developing an AI-powered app that transforms access to education for visually impaired learners.
Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu clinched the Young College Person of the Year 2025 for her outstanding achievement in elevating Nigeria's presence on the international academic stage.
This year, the Artiste of the Year award was clinched by the duo of Raoul John Njeng-Njeng, better known as Skales and Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke.
The LEADERSHIP Sports Person of the Year award went to Justine Madugu for guiding the Super Falcons to their record-breaking 10th WAFCON title.
The awardees will be celebrated for their outstanding leadership, vision and commitment to national development at the LEADERSHIP Conference and Awards ceremony scheduled to take place on 12 February 2026 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
