Coalition of Niger Delta youth groups, The Coalition of Ijaw Oil and Gas Producing Kingdom Youth Councils in Delta State, has condemned calls urging President Bola Tinubu to terminate the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL).
The group, representing oil areas in Delta South, described the campaigns “as reckless, self-serving, and a threat to Nigeria’s economic stability.”
In a statement, by Roland Dade, President General, and Secretary, Efe Alaye, they urged Tinubu to disregard such distractions and be firm in protecting the gains made in the oil and gas sector through Tantita’s engagement.
It added that prior to Tantita’s engagement, oil production nosedived to 650,000 and 900,000 barrels per day, but surged to 1.8 million barrels per day following the award of the contract to Tantita.
Part of the statement reads, “Let it be on record: prior to Tantita’s involvement, Nigeria’s crude oil production had plunged to an alarming low averaging between 650,000 and 900,000 barrels per day—largely due to unchecked oil theft and pipeline vandalism. However, since the awarding of the surveillance contract to Tantita Security Services, production has surged significantly, often exceeding 1.5 million barrels per day, and at times nearing 1.8 million barrels per day.
“This remarkable recovery is directly attributable to Tantita’s diligent operations in protecting critical oil infrastructure and curbing economic sabotage. It is, therefore, both illogical and dangerous to consider withdrawing the contract that has helped restore fiscal confidence in the oil-producing regions and contributed massively to national revenue.”
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Dade noted that similar contracts were awarded in the past to an Indigenous company with no any tangible results, saying “before Tantita, similar contracts were awarded—yet the nation continued to suffer massive losses. Those now agitating for the termination of Tantita’s contract were silent then. Why now?”
He maintained that cancelling Tantita’s contract “ would represent a major economic misstep and a setback for the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole and urged President Tinubu “to weigh the far-reaching economic implications and prioritize national interest over the noise of saboteurs and vested interests.”
Dade wondered why Tantita’s case was being politicised whereas the 87-kilometres Trans-Forcados pipeline awarded in 2018 to Ocean Marine Solutions Ltd for 18.48 billion dollars did not elicit any public outcry.
According to the statement, the attacks on Tantita is “ malicious and deeply offensive, stressing the attacks were the handiwork of “oil thieves and economic saboteurs desperate to return the country to a state of lawlessness and crude oil theft.”
The statement noted that the workforce of Tantita is” inclusive, drawing personnel from various ethnic groups and kingdoms across the Niger Delta and beyond.”
It urged President Tinubu to rather expand and strengthen the contract to further empower Tantita to tackle oil theft and protect national assets.
It listed some of the corporate social responsibility footprints of Tantita to include
equipping of a Nigerian Police Divisional Headquarters in Warri; construction of the Warri branch of the Nigerian Union of Journalists; and the Isoko Youth Council Secretariat, and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide Secretariat project.