The Isoko Patriots, a coalition of President Generals, key stakeholders, and oil pipeline surveillance coordinators in Delta State have passed a unanimous vote of confidence in Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), strongly condemning recent calls for the termination of its pipeline surveillance contract.
In a meeting at Opute Hall, Ozoro, in Isoko North Local Government Area, Delta State, the coalition decried what it described as a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated by criminal elements posing as ethnic agitators.
These groups, the Patriots warned, are attempting to derail the achievements of Tantita in securing oil pipelines across the Niger Delta region.
Delivering the coalition’s official statement, Chief Adonis Ubuwere, Chairman of the Isoko President Generals Forum and President General of Irri Kingdom, stated that any move to truncate Tantita’s operations would constitute a serious threat to national economic stability and regional peace.
Chief Ubuwere emphasized that since Tantita, chaired by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo and managed by Chief Kestin Pondi, assumed surveillance duties in 2022, illegal oil bunkering and theft have drastically reduced across Isoko communities. The initiative, he noted, has also created significant employment opportunities for local youths.
“The Isoko Patriots, a coalition of young professionals committed to peace and prosperity, alert the Nigerian public and security agencies to a calculated campaign, allegedly sponsored by crude oil theft syndicates, to undermine Tantita’s mandate,” the statement read.
According to the group, credible intelligence indicates a broader conspiracy aimed at dismantling the country’s oil surveillance framework and reviving the illegal oil bunkering economy which Tantita’s operations have largely dismantled.
The group also questioned the recent outcry from some agitators, pointing out their silence during past contracts awarded to non-indigenous firms such as Eraskorp and Ocean Marine.
During those periods, Nigeria’s daily crude oil production plummeted to as low as 700,000 barrels, the group recalled.
“These agitators said nothing while our environment was devastated, our communities militarized, and the nation bled economically,” the coalition stated.
Describing Tantita’s operations as a vital national intervention, the Isoko Patriots stressed that the current surveillance contract aligns with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), representing a strategic shift toward local content, accountability, and community participation.
They also commended the sub-contracting of services to Isoko-owned firms operating within OML 26 and OML 60, citing it as a model for inclusive economic development.
The group condemned recent protests against Tantita’s contract, describing the participants as either non-residents or individuals disconnected from the realities on ground.
“Tantita is one of the largest employers of labour in Isoko land. It is disingenuous to call for the cancellation of its contract based on ethnicity,” the statement added.
The coalition warned that the campaign against Tantita is nothing more than “corruption fighting back,” urging the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) not to be misled.
“The gains since Tantita’s engagement are undeniable. Even oil thieves know this. This is not patriotism; it is a desperate pushback by criminal cartels,” the group declared.
In addition to reaffirming their support, the Isoko Patriots called for an expansion of Tantita’s mandate and the establishment of special courts dedicated to prosecuting oil thieves and their sponsors.
The vote of confidence was formally moved by Engr. Atunu Alfred, President General of Otor-Owhe community, seconded by Comrade Morisster Idibra, and unanimously adopted by all attendees, including community coordinators, workers, and representatives of the Isoko nation.
