According to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, the Nigeria Armed Forces, NAF, is established by Chapter 6, Part 3, Section 217 titled: 'Establishment and Composition of the Armed Force of the Federation.'  The NAF comprises the Nigeria Air Force, Army, Navy, and "such other branches of the armed forces of the Federation as may be established by an Act of the National Assembly".

The constitutional functions of the "armed forces of the Federation" are clearly spelt out in Section 217 (2). These roles mainly dwell on "maintaining its [Nigeria] territorial integrity and securing its borders from violation on land, sea, or air" and "suppress insurrection and acting in aid of civil authorities to restore order" as ordered by the President but "subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly" and in addition, the “performance of such other functions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.”

The coming of the NAF into protecting oil pipelines and other oil assets in the Niger Delta arose from the era of armed agitation in the oil producing region. The destruction of oil assets and the atmosphere of insecurity caused by the unrest prompted the government to draft in the armed forces to quell the crisis as the Nigeria Police Force were limited to act. Since then, the NAF has been stationed in oil producing sites even after the situation of unrest has been brought under control with the declaration of presidential amnesty and the establishment of an intervention agency by the Federal Government to attend to the demands of agitators.

However, the coming of the NAF into the oil and gas sector by way of protecting the assets of the International Oil Companies, IOCs, further exposes the armed forces to a different type of warfare that is not combated with bullets and guns, but with integrity and uprightness. Unfortunately, the social scourge of corruption, overtime, became a threat to the professional integrity and established reputation that the NAF was known for. As oil theft escalated in the region, despite the NAF's security presence in the creeks, the assets they were supposed to protect became an avenue for some of its officials to 'get rich quickly' as security agents compromised on their supposed duty to the Federation.

The NAF leaving the Niger Delta region by its relocation to the barracks became a huge challenge as a result of the oil goldmine. To this end, there is a school of thought that believes and alleges that the NAF, in their attempt to stay put, created false alarms or instigated an air of insecurity as a basis for them to remain stationed in the region. And the NAF has continued to play by its own politics of national defense.

However, despite the NAF presence in the Niger Delta region, there has always been the push to involve the inhabitants of the region in safeguarding oil assets. This line of thinking is believed to be a long term approach to addressing the issue of oil theft in the region, rather than the presence of the NAF on ground. And so, when the multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract was awarded in August 2022 by Mele Kyari, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, to the Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a company that a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) has interest in, the move was seen by industry players as the right one.

In reaction to that strategy, the then governor of Delta State, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Olisa Ifeajika, said: "...to check the rising oil theft cases, the Federal Government should involve the oil-bearing communities, where the oil is produced. And, to involve them, the surveillance contracts for oil facilities surveillance in the area should be reviewed. In other words, make them own it, let them be partners because if you make them part of it, they will guard, police and protect it. They will do anything to make sure that they protect it, but if you alienate them from it, they will leave it and allow anything to happen to it.”

But surprisingly, while the locals have always been fingered for engaging in oil theft in the region, Tantita, hell bent in not only securing oil assets but to end the despoliation of the environment, brought to the fore the existence of a well organised cartel of oil thieves whose illegal activities in financial terms are 'mind-boggling'. To that end, several illegal taps on pipeline connections were discovered and earthed, even well-laid out pipelines such as the 4-kilometre pipeline connected from the Trans Escravos line into the sea, and another connected to the 48-inch Trans Forcados Export Trunkline which was directly behind a military security post and less than one kilometre from the Forcados Export Terminal that has a nameplate capacity to export 400,000 barrels per day and that receives crude oil from the Forcados Oil Pipeline System, the second largest pipeline network in the oil-producing region after the Bonny Oil Pipeline System in the Eastern Niger Delta.

With such huge discovery that exposes the well organised criminal activities of powerful agents, it only meant two things: either Tantita compromises, or a propaganda is unleashed against the security firm to weaken its hold. Having tried and failed on the first option (there are numerous reports of Tantita personnel turning down bribes), the recent backlash against the security firm shows that the propaganda war is already on. And the time to unleash this strategy by the cartel of oil thieves is none other than when the contract renewal dawns. But the question on the lips of sensible Nigerians is, and as well-placed by the former deputy governor of Delta State, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro in a recent letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is: “Why change a winning team?”

It is high time the present government led by President Tinubu takes the bull by the horn and end all the unnecessary speculation by doing the needful, not only in granting Tantita the go-ahead to continue the good job the security firm has been doing, but in also looking at the needs of the oil producing areas of the region, who feel shortchanged by the low level of development accorded them. How can an oil producing territory or host community, after more than 60 years of ongoing oil exploration, have no access to clean water, well-equipped schools and healthcare, roads and bridges linking their territories to the urban centers to spur commerce, access to electricity, among other vital infrastructures?

I end this piece by quoting the security firm, Tantita, when it said: "At Tantita, it is our resolve that we will not allow a situation where the small fry is chased out of the illegal business only for the big fish to remain in business. A single 10 tonner vessel will do more damage to our economy in a single voyage than 1000 dugout canoes carrying jerrycans. And while the illegality with the dugout canoe is a crime of need the illegality with the 10 tonner vessel is a crime of greed." This powerful statement sums it all up.

The agenda against Tantita in its resolve to end oil theft in the region is real and is even bigger than what most persons envisaged. It is a well scripted plan with the big forces pulling the strings, even influencing some from the region. If they win, the Niger Delta people will be at the receiving end. 

#penglobaldiscourse