By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja 

Stakeholders in the Niger Delta, including lawmakers and leaders of Host communities (HOSTCOM), have passed a vote of confidence on Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited over what they described as its pivotal role in boosting Nigeria’s crude oil production from below 1.2 million barrels per day to over 1.7 million barrels per day.

The endorsement came during a joint legislative retreat of the House of Representatives Committees on Host Communities and Public Petitions held on Wednesday at the Protea Hotel Owerri Select in conference with HOSTCOM Trustees from across the Niger Delta region.

Participants at the retreat attributed the recovery in crude production to the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited around 2022, describing the arrangement as a major turning point in the fight against crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. S. C. Dike said the security architecture introduced under the contract had succeeded where conventional approaches failed for decades.

According to him, the surveillance model combines private security expertise, ex-resource agitators, community intelligence networks, and collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

“The Pipeline Surveillance Contract was awarded around 2022 by the NNPCL. Its design is unique: not military, not police-based, but a hybrid security architecture combining private security expertise, ex-resource agitators, community networks, and coordination with the Nigerian Navy and the NSCDC,” Dike stated.

He noted that the difficult terrain of the Niger Delta creeks made it nearly impossible for outsiders to effectively police oil infrastructure without local participation.

“For decades, conventional security forces could not stop the haemorrhage of our crude oil. The pipelines were too long, the creeks too many, and the terrain too difficult for outsiders. Only those who know our waters can effectively secure our waters,” he added.

Figures presented at the retreat showed that Tantita’s operations had led to the discovery and dismantling of thousands of illegal oil tapping points and bunkering routes, while helping the government recover hundreds of billions of naira previously lost to crude oil theft.

The company was also credited with engaging thousands of Niger Delta youths in legitimate surveillance activities, thereby creating jobs and reducing restiveness in oil-producing communities.

Stakeholders at the event described the rise in production as a major boost to the Federation Account and Nigeria’s revenue profile, with positive implications for infrastructure funding and the country’s standing within the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Dekor Dumnamene Robinson, said improved pipeline security had also resulted in significant environmental gains across the Niger Delta.

“The reduction in pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering has equally reduced oil spillage, illegal refining activities, and the environmental degradation that has plagued our communities for decades. Tantita’s operations have delivered measurable economic and environmental benefits,” he said.

The retreat further urged the Federal Government and the NNPCL to grant Tantita a long-term contract extension, warning that the uncertainty surrounding annual renewals could undermine operational stability and threaten recent gains in crude production.

Industry analysts at the retreat described the increase in oil output as a remarkable turnaround for Nigeria’s petroleum sector, noting that only a few years ago the country was reportedly losing up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil daily to theft and sabotage.