Lawmakers, HOSTCOM Leaders Seek National Honour For Tompolo

No fewer than 200 lawmakers and leaders of Niger Delta host communities have called on the Federal Government to confer national honours on Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, and the leadership of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited for their role in protecting Nigeria’s oil infrastructure and boosting crude oil production.

The demand was made at the end of a one-day Joint Retreat of the House of Representatives Committees on Host Communities (HOSTCOM) and Public Petitions, held on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, alongside trustees and leaders of Niger Delta Host Communities.

In resolutions adopted at the retreat, participants commended Tantita’s leadership for what they described as exceptional commitment and patriotism in safeguarding critical petroleum assets across the Niger Delta. They noted that the company’s surveillance operations had played a major role in curbing oil theft and restoring stability in oil-producing areas.

The lawmakers and community leaders urged the Federal Government to formally recognise the contributions of Tompolo and his team through the conferment of high national honours.

According to the resolution signed by the co-chairman of the Joint Committees, Hon. Dekor Dumnamene Robinson, the government should “confer high national honours on the leadership of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited in recognition of their outstanding contributions to national security and the protection of critical petroleum infrastructure.”

Participants also expressed concern over what they described as sustained attacks against Tompolo and Tantita in sections of the media. They called for an immediate end to what they termed “unwarranted media attacks, insults and inflammatory commentary,” warning that such actions could undermine the peace and stability that have gradually returned to the Niger Delta.

Also, speaking during the retreat, Professor S. C. Dike, a Professor of Energy and Comparative Environmental Law, highlighted what he described as the significant impact of Tantita’s operations on Nigeria’s oil sector.

According to him, the country’s crude oil production, which had fallen below 1.2 million barrels per day at one point, has risen steadily to more than 1.7 million barrels per day following intensified pipeline surveillance and anti-crude theft measures.

Dike said thousands of illegal pipeline connections and crude oil bunkering routes had been identified and dismantled, leading to the recovery of billions of naira in revenues that would otherwise have been lost to oil theft.

He further noted that Tantita’s activities had created employment opportunities for thousands of youths across the Niger Delta while contributing to improved security and peace in communities long affected by economic sabotage and instability.

Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Hon. Dekor Dumnamene Robinson, described the recognition being sought for Tompolo and Tantita as long overdue.

“Tompolo and his team have served this country at great personal risk. They have kept the economic lifeline of the nation running and restored peace to communities that had not experienced peace in decades,” Robinson said.

The retreat concluded with a unanimous vote of confidence in Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, with participants urging the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to grant the company a long-term extension of its pipeline surveillance contract.

The resolutions reached at the gathering are expected to be forwarded to the Presidency, the National Honours Award Committee, and other relevant government agencies for consideration.