Delta State’s immediate past Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro and the Ijaw Yoth Congress (IYC) have pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to renew the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Service Nigeria Limited (TSSNL).
In an open letter to the President yesterday, Otuaro stressed the role of the security outfit in safeguarding the nation’s oil and gas assets while also combating crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism across the Niger Delta region.
The Federal Government, in August 2022, awarded the N48 billion crude oil pipeline surveillance contract to TSSNL.
Few months after commencement of the job, the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) said it recorded a significant increase in the nation’s crude oil output.
Imploring President Tinubu to uphold the existing partnership with Tantita, a firm managed by Chief Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), Otuaro said since Nigeria depends on revenue from the oil and gas industry, any disruption in the sector could result in dire economic consequences.
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“Our national and sub-national governments’ fiscal foundations have invariably rested upon the tripod of revenue from crude oil and gas sales, tax receipts intricately linked to oil and gas subsidiary investments, and both external and internal borrowings,” he said.
The former deputy governor, who has a long-time experience about the challenges of oil theft, pipeline vandalism and the associated environmental and health hazards, described TSSNL as a “perfect fit” to tackle the menace, giving its track records.
Otuaro said: “…It is an established fact that the campaign against the menace of oil theft and the destruction of national oil and gas assets has already made substantial headway. In light of this, why the preposterous and untenable clamour for changing a triumphant alliance?”
The former deputy governor recalled that following the 2015 general election, critical oil and gas assets became targets of destruction, leading to a significant plummet in the nation’s crude oil production.
“It is imperative to note that one of the conscientious outcomes of the presidential visit to the (Niger Delta) region was the procurement of the services of Tantita Security Services Limited to collaborate with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) in intensifying the battle against crude oil theft and fortifying the security of national oil and gas assets,” he said.
Also, the Western Zone of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has urged the Federal Government to renew the pipeline surveillance awarded to TSSNL.
In a statement in Warri, Delta State, by the youths drawn from Delta, Edo and Ondo states, the IYC said: “…Tantita’s services in the fight against oil theft have been invaluable, providing and protecting vital infrastructure and preventing the loss of revenue to the Nigerian government.
“We call upon His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to renew the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tompolo as he has the capacity, as a prominent leader who has immensely sacrificed for the peace and development of the Niger Delta region.”