N’Delta Stakeholders Back Tinubu On Pipeline Renewal, Reject Decentralisation

Stakeholders in the Niger Delta have thrown their weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following his approval of the renewal of the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.

The group, comprising ex-militants, Board of Trustees members, and other critical stakeholders, also rejected calls from some quarters seeking the decentralisation of the contract, describing such moves as risky and not in the interest of the region.

At a meeting held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the stakeholders said the current arrangement has brought stability to the Niger Delta and improved the security of oil infrastructure.

In a communique signed by the BOT chairman, High Chief Reuben Clifford Wilson, on behalf of the stakeholders, he noted that before the contract was awarded, the region faced serious challenges such as oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal bunkering, and environmental damage.

According to him, the situation has improved significantly under the present structure, with better coordination, stronger local intelligence, and reduced criminal activities.

He warned that changing the existing system could create confusion, weaken coordination, and open the door for renewed illegal activities in the region.

Wilson also commended the National Assembly for supporting the current arrangement and passing a vote of confidence in the operations of the company.

He said, “In simple terms, the present structure is working and what is working should be strengthened and not dismantled. Pipeline surveillance in the Niger Delta is not an ordinary contract, it is a national security responsibility tied directly to Nigeria’s economic survival.

“The current arrangement under Tantita has over time developed the institutional familiarity, operational experince, and local legitimacy required to function effectively in such a sensitive environment. To suddenly fragment such framework in the name of decentralisation would amount to disrupting a system that has already demonstrated effectiveness.

“We must state clearly that pipeline security should never be politicised or reduced to a sharing formula for sectional, political or patronage interest. Nigeria’s strategic oil assets are too important to be subjected to experiments driven by personal ambition, regional pressure or political bargaining. The overriding consideration must always be national interest, operational effectiveness and sustainable peace in the Niger Delta.

“We, therefore urge all well-meaning stakeholders leaders to support the preservation and strengthening of the current surveillance framework in the overall interest of peace, security, and economic stability in the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large.

“We are also using this medium to assure Mr. President that he will be given overwhelming bulk votes in the forthcoming 2027 presidential election in the Niger Delta region because of his speedy approval of the renewal of the pipeline security and surveillance job for Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.

“The renewal of this job has renewed the hopes and strengthened the confidence of the ordinary Niger Deltans in Mr. President. The Niger Delta people are excited to continue plying their trades without the fear of sea pirates attacks and the negative effects of illegal oil bunkering activities in their communities.”