Ever since Tantita Security Services Limited (the company that High Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo has stake in) took a lead role in the war against oil theft in the Niger Delta region, it is glaring to note that the leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) turned the tide on an alarming problem that seems to have no solution.

Before the award of the pipeline surveillance contract by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to the influential leader in the Niger Delta region, it seems that those engaged in the act of major oil theft were invincible or ghost-like, save for the petty dealers involved in local refining of crude oil in the creeks. The combined security architecture of the military and the navy among others became like sitting duck while the NNPCL and other government agencies continued to lament losses and bandied figures of stolen barrels of crude oil running into their thousands.

Just few weeks after the award of the pipeline surveillance, the discoveries made by Tantita in relation to oil theft mechanisms seem mind-boggling. To say the least, as of October 9, 2022, more than 40 illegal tapping points (illegal connections to pipelines with the aim to siphon crude oil) were discovered in Delta and Bayelsa States alone. More alarming among the discoveries was that of an illegal four-kilometer pipeline from Forcados Terminal that connects all the way through the sea to a loading platform which had been in operation for nine years, according to the NNPCL! 

This and other findings threw a rhetorical question on the lips of curious Nigerians on why those charged with securing the nation’s oil assets before now haven’t discovered such tapping points being exposed of recent.

It is also worthy of note the vigour with which security agencies that were once docile, suddenly awoke to their sense of responsibility as they too swung into action, and in a competitive-like manner begun dishing out statistics of results in their war against oil theft, with some apprehending vessels and culprits caught in the illegal business. Some, like the Nigerian Navy, also vowed to end oil theft in the region. 

As stated in an earlier report, there have been suspicions that locals involved in the illegal oil activity of refining (locally referred to as ‘kpo fire’) were being used as smokescreen to divert attention from the real criminals involved in large scale oil theft. All the while, Nigerians were made to believe that oil theft was the sole handiwork of the locals, or those in whose vicinity or territory pipelines were domiciled. And so, many of the sites of these local refiners, whose activities no doubt contributed to the pollution of the environment, became soft targets to constant security invasions. 

More alarming also is the approach adopted by security agencies when handling confiscated crude product. The approach of either spilling crude oil confiscated from illegal dealers into the rivers or the setting ablaze of refining camps or facilities, helped worsened the pollution of the Niger Delta environment.

Recall that the award of pipeline surveillance to Tompolo was one that attracted both positive and negative reactions from Niger Deltans and Nigerians at large. While many praised the decision of the NNPCL as putting a square peg in a square hole, there were others who vehemently opposed it. And before his (Tompolo)’s present active involvement in securing Nigeria’s assets against oil theft, he too had noted that with his recorded achievements in relation to pipeline surveillance in the past, those involved in the illicit business were hell bent on stopping him from securing the contract. Already, threats are being made against the former warlord.

Based on the feats achieved so far by Tompolo''s Tantita, it cannot be disputed that the Niger Delta leader has charted a new course in the oil and gas industry. Without doubt, most of the discoveries made within so short a time may not have been exposed if not for the strategic efforts by the security firm. Above all, the firm has also brought to limelight the existence of a syndicate who have been strategically reaping profits in the Niger Delta backyard while the inhabitants of the region were left basking in the euphoria of poverty and neglect as evidenced by the lack of amenable infrastructures in the coastal settlements.

I end this piece by also noting that the same man that the Buhari administration had waged a war against at the inception of his government, is the same man it had fallen back to for a rescue mission in the oil and gas sector. So, has the Buhari government been fighting a wrong battle all along?

With the recent honours being dished out to various Nigerians for their contributions to nation building, the man Tompolo is also well deserving of such. His achievements speak louder than words! Also, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration should continue in support of Tantita to build on the gains the security outfit has recorded in the fight against oil theft and the degradation of the Niger Delta environment.

#MyPublicDiscourse #Tompolo #Tantita