HOSTCOM, Lawmakers Hail Tantita Over Rise In Nigeria’s Crude Oil Production, Seek Contract Extension

Members of the House of Representatives Committees on Host Communities and Public Petitions, alongside HOSTCOM Trustees from the Niger Delta region, have backed Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited’s pipeline surveillance operations and called for the extension of the contract over its role in boosting Nigeria’s crude oil production.

The position was made known in a press release signed by the chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Hon. Dekor Dumnamene Robinson, on Wednesday, during a joint legislative retreat held at the Owerri, Imo State.

Participants at the retreat said Nigeria’s crude oil production had risen from a historic low of below 1.2 million barrels per day to over 1.7 million barrels per day, attributing the increase largely to the surveillance contract awarded to Tantita by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The stakeholders gave Tantita a vote of confidence over what they described as its significant contribution to the recovery of Nigeria’s oil production and national revenue.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. S. C. Dike said the pipeline surveillance contract, awarded around 2022, had become a critical instrument in the recovery of national crude oil production and revenue.

“The Pipeline Surveillance Contract was awarded around 2022 by the NNPCL. Its design is unique: not military, not police-based, but a hybrid security architecture combining private security expertise, ex-resource agitators, community networks, and coordination with the Nigerian Navy and the NSCDC,” he stated.

He explained that the arrangement recognised the operational realities of pipeline protection in the swampy and creek-laden terrain of the Niger Delta.

“For decades, conventional security forces could not stop the haemorrhage of our crude oil. The pipelines were too long, the creeks too many, and the terrain too difficult for outsiders. Only those who know our waters can effectively secure our waters,” he added.

According to figures cited at the retreat, Tantita’s operations have led to the detection and dismantling of thousands of illegal tapping points and bunkering routes, the recovery of hundreds of billions of naira previously lost to crude oil theft, and the engagement of thousands of Niger Delta youths in legitimate surveillance operations.

Participants at the retreat described the recovery in production as a major boost to the Federation Account, with positive implications for national revenue, capital project funding, and Nigeria’s standing within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

For his part, chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Hon. Robinson, said the improved security situation had also contributed to environmental recovery in the Niger Delta.

“The reduction in pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering has equally reduced oil spillage, illegal refining activities, and the environmental degradation that has plagued our communities for decades. Tantita’s operations have delivered measurable economic and environmental benefits,” he said.

The retreat further called on the Federal Government and the NNPCL to grant Tantita a long-term contract extension, arguing that recurring uncertainty surrounding annual renewals could undermine operational stability and negatively affect national oil revenue.

المصدر: Leadership (Nigeria)