Delta Community Leader Cautions Urhobos Over Sponsored Protests Against Tantita

A prominent community leader in the oil-producing Ogulagha Kingdom of Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta state, Chief Larry Adanike, has cautioned Urhobo communities against sponsored protests against Tantita Security Services Limited.

Tantita Security Services Limited, critical to securing the nation’s pipelines, is owned by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, an Ijaw from Delta State.

Adanike, who appealed for caution in a statement on Sunday, noted that the same contract, part of which is being handled by Tantita Security Services today, was previously managed by the late Capt Hosa from Edo State in Urhobo territories for eight years without protests.

Adanike stressed that even when there were rampant incidents of massive pipeline vandalisation and its attendant effects on the environment of host communities, there were no such protests.

He recalled that before the advent of Tantita, the nation’s daily oil production had crashed to 650,000 barrels per day. Companies could not pump crude oil from their flow stations because over 85 per cent of the products were lost to pipeline breaches by oil thieves.

Chief Adanike stressed that it is inimical to the existing inter-ethnic harmony and unity that has been sustained in Delta state for platforms belonging to some ethnic groups to sponsor protests against Tantita’s operations in their communities because the firm belongs to an Ijaw man.

He pointed out that even after Capt Hosa’s death, the current Olu of Warri presides over acreages far larger than that of Tantita Security Services in Ijaw-speaking areas of Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom.

He said, “Today, people are sponsoring Itsekiris to protest against the Ijaw man’s Company, asking for the withdrawal of Tantita’s Security Job, which Tantita is executing very, very competently—such that we no longer have Pipeline Vandalism and Oil theft, and our Oil Production has improved tremendously up to at least 1.8 Million Barrels per day. Or they are seeking to deny Tantita access to Itsekiri communities. Now the Urhobo are saying the same thing.

“Greed and Envy, loss of time, seem to forget Reason…“This will not help the cause of unity amongst the tribes in Delta State,” Adanike said while listing the numerous major pipeline contracts executed by people from other ethnic groups, especially the Urhobos in Ijaw communities, with no protests or disturbances.

He advised that targeting a company because it belongs to somebody from one ethnic group is a dangerous trend which would be counterproductive.

“When the Security Surveillance Jobs were awarded by NAPPIMS through settlers like SPDC decades ago, it was Frontline Urhobo Contractors like Chief Ubiebi from the Ughelli axis that handled all major Security and Maintenance contracts for decades in the Ijaw areas of Forcados (Ogulagha) and Escravos (Gbaramatu), Tunu, Beniseide (Ojobo), Egbema-Angalabiri (Bayelsa), Etc.

“Some other Urhobo and Isoko Contractors who held sway in major engineering and EPIC Construction contracts were Eruben Ltd., SJ Jones, and SAMOT Ltd, Temile & Sons (Itsekiri).

“Till today, NAPPIMS major maintenance and EPIC Contracts are being executed in Ijaw Areas by well-known Urhobo and Isoko Contractors: Macharry Ltd., De-Wayles… Chief Bernard Edewor Etc. Pushing Ijaw contractors like High Chief Tunde Smooth out of his well-known Marine Equipment Business,” he said.

Speaking further, Adanike said, “But no, the Ijaw Community, collectively or individually, has protested against, undermined, or frustrated these Urhobo or Isoko contractors or is seeking to expel them from Ijaw Land.

Similarly, no Ijaw Community is protesting and fighting the Olu of Warri’s Company – Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited – from executing its surveillance and Security Contract, exactly like Tantita’s – from doing its work in Ijaw Areas.

Instead, the Ijaw Communities are assisting and cooperating with the Olu’s PINL to execute its work successfully.

“It is flowing from the Above, that I appeal to our Urhobo and Itsekiri brothers to be circumspect and think twice about this fight against Tantita.

Because no one knows the aftermath.

Your brothers and chiefs have been operating contracts and eating in Ijaw Areas for decades (10, 15, 20, 35 years and even today.

Ijaws did not deprive them… But the only fate given to an Ijaw man, you say, is that he should not work in your Areas? How fair is that?

“The Chairman of Tantita is an Ijaw Leader from both Gbaramatu and Ogulagha Kingdoms, key oil-producing kingdoms with massive assets that are helping the economy of Delta State and Nigeria.

“So Ijaws should tell Macharry Ltd. and De-Wayles, owned by Urhobos, to pull out of Ijaw Areas where they work today, too, since you don’t want Tantita, owned by Ijaw, in your areas?

“We have managed our unity and togetherness better than this. Who knows if, after years, an Urhobo man will be given the work that Tantita Services is doing today? Will Ijaws say that such Contractor (s) should also not work in Ijaw areas?

“This is a dangerous trend that the Urhobos are starting. They should rethink before it forces Ijaws to react with tit-for-tat,” he added.