From Seyi Tayese, Yenagoa
Protesters under the aegis of Concerned Niger Delta Stakeholders on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly, opposing calls to decentralise the pipeline surveillance contract currently handled by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.
The protesters described the agitation for a review of the contract framework as self-serving, warning that any attempt to alter the arrangement could reverse the security gains recorded in the region.
The demonstrators displayed placards during the protest carrying inscriptions such as “Nigeria cannot afford setbacks in oil security,” “Don’t destroy Niger Delta peace for self-interest,” “Nobody can threaten 2027 election based on pipeline contract”, “say no to disruption of national security efforts”, among others.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Hon. Duduke Ebitimi, recalled that before the engagement of Tantita, the Niger Delta was plagued by widespread criminality, including pipeline vandalism, oil theft, kidnappings and sea piracy, which significantly reduced crude oil output and undermined the national economy.
He said: “The national economy collapsed following increasing unchecked activities of oil thieves and pipeline vandals. In fact, production vices were reported to be high making daily production output to hover within 800,000 to 900,000 barrels per day. These local and international oil thieves almost shut down the country, whose survival depends solely on oil flowing from the Niger Delta.
“The entire environment in the Niger Delta was devastated because of illegal oil bunkering and many illegal refineries that sprang up in the region. The Niger Delta was a cooking hub of crude oil, where illegal refineries dot its landscape sending thick smokes into the atmosphere. This high level of pollution caused environmental hazards and created various ailments and sicknesses including cancer in the region.
“There was no peace in the Niger Delta as various stakeholders took to the streets and major roads to Carry out various protests. In fact, the East-West Road was the worst hit at the time.”
Ebitimi, however, maintained that the surveillance contract had helped restore stability, improved oil production to over two million barrels per day, and curtailed illegal bunkering activities across the region.
According to them, the initiative has also created employment opportunities for thousands of youths, strengthened collaboration with security agencies and enhanced protection of critical oil infrastructure.
The group rejected calls for decentralisation, insisting that those pushing for the move lacked the capacity and were driven by personal interests rather than the collective good of the Niger Delta.
They also cautioned against politicising the contract or linking it to the 2027 general elections, urging the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to sustain and expand the current arrangement.
“We want to state unequivocally that the individuals agitating to alter the framework of the contract are motivated by greed and jealousy and do not represent the interest of the Niger Delta. Nobody changes a working system. As stakehokders in the Niger Delta and Nigeria, we have seen the benefits of the existing framework to peace, security and economy of the Niger Delta and Nigeria and we want the same system to continue unhindered.
“We have also evaluated the characters of people demanding decentralistion of the contract and we make bold to say that they lack the capacity, the discipline, qualities and the organisation required to manage any part of the contract.
“We want to remind these individuals that the pipeline surveilance contract is not a gift to Tantita and Tompolo. It is a serious security contract that goes through a bidding process.
“Tantita and Tompolo won it on merit having displayed the capacity, discipline and organisation to handle it. Those, who need contracts should put themselves together and bid for others in various sectors of the economy”, the group added.
