Tompolo, Tantita And Need For Collaboration Against Oil Theft In N’Delta
LAGOS FEBRUARY 4TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The mainstay of Nigeria’s economy is oil but the sector has been beset with prolonged challenges, chief among them is the problem of oil theft, especially pipeline vandalism. This has negatively affected oil production, making it difficult for Nigeria to meet up with the OPEC production quota.
The situation became so bad that pipeline vandalism and bunkers had increased astronomically causing the federal government to continuously expend billions of dollars fighting the criminality and battling to secure national economic assets.
Personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, who were drafted to protect the oil pipelines, were clearly overwhelmed by the sophisticated modus operandi of the criminals. The military, whose responsibility is to defend the territorial integrity of the nation, has also been drawn into the fight to secure pipelines and combat oil theft.
But the more these security forces militarised the communities in the region, there was no respite. Instead, sea piracy grew in leaps and bounds; high-level kidnapping became the order of the day, and of course, confrontation of security personnel was on a geometric progression. It was at this stage that the government decided to think outside the box and went in search of a patriot, committed community leader, and security expert to rescue the nation from the multiple challenges confronting the oil industry.
As a Daniel Come to Judgement, a renowned freedom fighter, revered son of the soil, master of the creeks, and security expert, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo came in handy. His dream has been to see the Niger Delta blossom and flourish; to eradicate environmental degradation of the region and eliminate poverty. The opportunity finally presented itself. Hence, as part of measures to ramp up security, tackle oil theft, increase the level of oil production, and improve the standard of living of the Niger Deltans, the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, decided out of its wisdom to pluck from the capacity and experience of Tompolo by awarding a pipeline surveillance contract to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a renowned security company owned by the High Chief. The contract was first awarded in August 2022 and renewed by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Tompolo endured a lot of attacks from different groups including some former agitators in the region, who kicked against the contract. The Civil Society Organisation Network of Nigeria (CSONN), the Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, Northern Advocacy for Good Governance Initiative and the Arewa Youth Congress were some of those opposed to the contract award. Of course, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and Arewa Civil Society Groups stood firmly in support of Tompolo.
But the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL, Mele Kyari, had defended the contract, explaining that without the connections of experts, many recent crude oil thefts would not have been possible. According to him, “We don’t mince words about the fact that the involvement of private security companies in this journey has helped us. Many of the discoveries we make today could not have been made without local knowledge, access to the people, and supporting the local people who are used by some of the criminals to perpetrate some of these things for very little things that they give them. Now, they are involved and supporting us in the recovery of these assets and we are very proud of their intervention.”
Kyari had also confirmed that before Tompolo was engaged in 2022, oil production had fallen from 2.5 million barrels per day in 2011 to just over a million in July 2022. But today, with the committed and firm activities of Tantita, oil production now hovers between 1.8 million and two million barrels per day.
Of course, Tompolo has not disappointed in executing the contract and frontally tackling oil theft and sea piracy in the Niger Delta. As soon as the contract was signed, Tompolo issued a stern warning to those perpetrating crimes in the region saying, “If you give me peace, I will give you peace, if you give me a problem, you can’t hide from me in this Niger Delta region; let us come together and work to save our environment.” It is incontrovertible that Tompolo’s involvement in the fight against oil theft in the Niger Delta region has significantly yielded positive results. The hitherto hopeless situation in the oil industry has been overturned and sanity has largely been restored to the region. It is now commonplace to hear people say “The fear of Tompolo is the beginning of curbing oil theft.”
Today, Tantita is one of the largest employers of labour as a private security company in the Niger Delta region. Many who were involved in the vandalism of oil installations have turned over a new leaf; some have been employed and are helping in the fight against the menace in the region. Since Tompolo’s Tantita was handed the oil surveillance contract, his efforts in curbing pipeline insecurity have been felt across the region.
Within the period this contract subsists, Tompolo, through Tantita, has been able to address the hitherto intractable problem of security threat in the Niger Delta creeks and sea lines. Today, the era of pipeline vandalism is a thing of the past. It is a fact that before the coming of Tompolo to the scene in the fight against oil theft, sea pirates’ operations barely allowed the people from Bayelsa, Delta, and Edo to go to markets, farms, or visit their communities. In fact, it is not hidden that in some parts of Bayelsa, people took permits to travel to their villages and hometowns because of pirates. But Tompolo has, through Tantita, effectively contained this menace.
The BBC Radio in a commentary acknowledged Tompolo’s effect in the region. Collaborating Tompolo’s accusation against the Navy for aiding and abetting oil theft in the region, the BBC said, “He knows the geography of the Niger Delta, the oil wells and official pipelines, so many believe his comments about the identities of the thieves.” Tompolo had accused the military, particularly the Navy, of complicity in oil theft. He had told Channels TV in one of his outings that “Many of the security people are involved because there is no way you can load a vessel without settling (bribing) the security people in the region”
Tompolo’s outstanding work drew the attention of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), led by President Afam Osigwe, SAN, which commended Tantita Security Services and the NNPCL for their ongoing efforts to combat oil theft and increase oil production in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. Osigwe praised Tantita for its commitment to protecting oil infrastructure and increasing production from 1.8 million barrels to two million barrels per day.
The NBA president gave the commendation during a visit to the Niger Delta with members of the NBA’s National Executive Council (NEC) to engage with key stakeholders, including Tantita’s chairman, Government Tompolo. While visiting Gbaramatu Kingdom. Osigwe acknowledged the importance of addressing oil theft, stating, “If oil production increases, it benefits all of us, enabling the government to meet the needs of the people. We must protect our commonwealth from those who seek to exploit it.”
With what Tantita has done since 2022 in restoring sanity, there is every need for all stakeholders, including the Nigerian military, community leaders, civil society groups, environmentalists, politicians and indeed all Nigerians to support Tompolo in this onerous task of securing pipelines and wading off oil theft. There is no doubt that Tantita’s intelligence security is made up of top security personnel, who have deep knowledge of the region and its efforts are paying off. They know the movement of both legal oil-carrying vessels and illegal vessels.
The era of patronising foreign companies at the expense of local ones irrespective of their competencies is over. Tantita has proven that local content also has quality and capacity and that with Tompolo in the driving seat, the Niger Delta could be free and the Nigerian economy could be better. Let’s all rally round Tompolo to end the regime of oil theft.
Oseh, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja
Daily Independent
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