A Niger Delta organisation known as South South Initiative has urged President Bola Tinubu to resist pressure to revoke oil pipeline security contract handled by Tantita Security Services, Maton Engineering Services and other indigenous surveillance organisations across the Niger Delta.
Its President, Emmanuel Iriogbe, who addressed journalists, Thursday in Abuja, recalled that before the contract was awarded, Nigeria suffered enormous losses as a result of pipeline vandalism, illegal bunkering, oil theft and organised criminality across the Niger Delta.
He added that trillions of dollars that should have funded development, education, healthcare and infrastructure were lost to sabotage and systemic corruption.
According to him, the turning point was when the Federal Government, beginning from the era of President Goodluck Jonathan down to the successive administrations, adopted a community-driven security approach, engaging indigenous pipeline surveillance companies with deep knowledge of the terrain and the communities, to salvage the situation.
He added that through the reform, the Federal Government can now make projections and budgetary plans based on more reliable production data, stating that stability has returned to many parts of the Niger Delta that were once plagued by sabotage and conflict.
“One of the foremost among these companies is Tantita Security Services. There are also Maton Engineering Services and other indigenous surveillance organisations operating across the Niger Delta. This strategy has produced measurable and undeniable results.
“It is, therefore, deeply troubling that certain individuals have recently embarked on a campaign of misinformation, blackmail and malicious propaganda aimed at discrediting these efforts.
“Let us be clear. Corruption, especially in the oil bunkering sector, is fighting back. Those who profited from the chaos of pipeline vandalism and illegal refineries are naturally uncomfortable with the new order of accountability and surveillance. Their objective is simple: to destabilise the system that has drastically reduced their illegal profits.
“Worse still, we cannot trust our resources to the so-called forces whose only duty in the region is corruption and collaboration with illegal refineries. People who only want to be posted to the region because they want to deepen their hands in the crude.
“The South South Initiative, therefore, urges the Nigerian public and the Federal Government to treat these allegations with extreme caution. We must not allow the enemies of Nigeria’s progress to dismantle what has taken years to build.”
He further charged the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu to remain steadfast and strategic in protecting the gains that have been achieved.
“We respectfully urge the President to resist pressure from individuals, whose motives may not align with the national interest.
“If necessary, the Federal Government may constitute a high-powered independent delegation to verify the claims we have presented today: the inclusiveness of the surveillance framework, the community participation, the reduction in vandalism and the developmental contributions being made. Transparency will only further strengthen public confidence.
“We also emphasise that multiple surveillance contractors operate in the Niger Delta. Tantita is not the only one. Various traditional authorities and regional stakeholders hold surveillance responsibilities in different corridors. Therefore, attempts to falsely portray this structure as a monopoly are misleading.”
