How Tantita is Providing Welfare Investments, Development Projects in Communities Beyond Oil Assets Protection

Beyond its mandate to protect Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited is increasingly linking security with community development in the Niger Delta. Through investments in social amenities, livelihoods, education, infrastructure and technology, the company is seeking to strengthen relations with host communities while supporting a more secure and productive oil-producing region. Victoria Ojiako reports For Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), protecting Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure goes beyond securing pipelines and other critical assets to investing in the welfare and development of host communities. This explains why the company recently extended its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drive to seven Delta communities, empowering residents and providing social amenities aimed at improving their quality of life and wellbeing. Right-thinking organisations understand that their operations and the communities where they conduct business are in a symbiotic relationship. Hence, they see Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as core to their business existence because a company is only as successful as the communities where it operates. For TSSNL, providing the good things of life to host communities remains a priority. Its efforts in this direction were recently demonstrated through the provision of social amenities to communities connected to its operations. As a responsible organisation, the company believes that government has a major role to play in making life better for the populace. It further believes that private organisations and business enterprises can partner with government in solving societal problems, especially those affecting the environments where they operate. Therefore, TSSNL has CSR initiatives tailored towards meeting the needs of society. Securing Oil Assets, Supporting Communities President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), led by High Chief, Dr. Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, to protect Nigeria’s oil assets in the Niger Delta region. The appointment was to enable TSSNL, through its security operations, to support the national economy in getting the full benefits of the country’s oil resources. TSSNL works in collaboration with other security outfits to achieve its goals of securing oil assets and ensuring peace and stability in the Niger Delta region. Tantita’s operations have ensured the security of oil pipelines, supporting the uninterrupted flow of petroleum resources and helping Nigeria migrate from a position of constant loss management to stability, planning, growth and development. The company’s operations have transformed the oil and gas landscape, allowing Nigeria to expand its oil production quota and significantly cut rampant oil theft. Its track record in mitigating risks associated with oil pipelines has positioned it as a reliable partner in preserving Nigeria’s economic backbone. Beyond these milestones, the company, in partnership with Grosvenor Global Services Limited, has provided solar-powered boreholes and street lights in several communities in Delta State. The projects include solar street lights in Ajomata, Ikweghwu and Ibada-Amukpe communities, as well as solar-powered boreholes in Ibada-Elume, Oyohen, Amukpe and Adagrassa communities. Speaking during the inauguration, the Community Relations Manager of Tantita, Pastor Seimode Akposafagha Benedict, said the projects were part of efforts to improve living conditions in communities connected to the company’s operations. Representing Tantita’s Managing Director, High Chief Engr. Kestin Ebimorbowei Pondi, Seimode said the facilities were provided by Grosvenor Global Services Limited, one of Tantita’s subcontractors, under its Corporate Social Responsibility programme. He said the protection of Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure should include investments in the welfare and development of host communities. According to him, Tantita encourages its partners and subcontractors to support projects that address the needs of residents and promote peaceful coexistence. “As we commission these projects today, let us continue to strengthen the bond of trust, cooperation and mutual respect that has made our collective successes possible,” he said. Seimode urged the beneficiary communities to protect and maintain the facilities to ensure their sustainability. Chairman of Ajomata Community in Sapele Local Government Area, Mr. Cyril Omor-Oba, said the street lights would improve security and movement at night. He appealed for additional lights to cover other parts of the community and assured the companies that residents would safeguard the facilities. Community representatives in Ibada-Amukpe and Ikweghwu also said the new street lights had improved visibility along major roads and public areas. The Chairman of Ibada-Elume Community, Mr. Friday Omerhiowan, described the solar-powered borehole as a timely intervention that would improve access to clean water for residents. The projects are expected to support safer movement, improve access to potable water and encourage social and economic activities in the beneficiary communities. From Security to Sustainable Development For the company, security further means solar classrooms, rehabilitated roads, rice farms, police stations and scholarships, thanks to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), founded by High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo (Tompolo). The company manages private pipeline surveillance and asset protection for critical oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta. Its operations target crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism to help boost national production. However, beyond pipeline surveillance, Tantita has in recent years emerged as a corporate citizen, focusing on livelihoods, infrastructure, education, security and climate initiatives. Its approach is clear: “you cannot police poverty out of a community; you must actively replace it.” Some of its key projects include the Sustainable Rice Farming Programme in Torugbene, created with SDN and Ecosus Pro Nigeria, which has offered legal employment to youths previously involved in oil bunkering. Tantita invested N2.53 billion over three years in irrigation, training and cooperative management, aiming for 100,000 hectares under cultivation. Infrastructure initiatives include the Bendel Estate road rehabilitation and a new police headquarters in Ugborikoko, improving safety and mobility. Education interventions span the Delta State College of Nursing Sciences, with solar panels, computers and buses, and FUPRE, where scholarships and reading clubs boost academic performance. Tantita also champions carbon capture projects, turning mangroves into carbon sinks, potentially generating over $300 million annually for local communities. Praised by officials, civil society and youth groups, Tantita’s initiatives provide tangible development and security, showing that in the Niger Delta, safety and progress can go hand in hand, offering communities real, grounded hope. Boosting Operational Efficiency with Technology Tantita recently contracted high-tech security company Textron Systems to deliver three uncrewed aircraft that would enhance the company’s capacity to carry out surveillance operations on Nigeria’s oil infrastructure. Under the contract agreement, which was signed and sealed late last year, Textron Systems, USA, is mandated to deliver three Aerosonde Mk. 4.7 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to the surveillance company. The systems will be delivered in a fully ITAR-Free configuration designed for ease of export to international customers. These aircraft will significantly enhance security operations for the protection of Nigeria’s vital oil and gas infrastructure. The sale also includes options for training and additional aircraft to support planned capability expansion, building on a previous Foreign Military Sale (FMS) contract to the country. Sustaining Peace in the South-South As captured in the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project, violent events declined by 20.9 per cent in the South-South geopolitical region between 2023 and 2025. The rate of fatalities arising from such violent events in the oil-rich region also declined by 8.3 per cent within the same period. Although the rate of similar conflicts declined by a higher margin of 26.9 per cent in the South-East region, the rate of fatalities resulting from such events increased within the region by 8.3 per cent. The violent events tracked by ACLED within the period under review include violence against civilians, battles between the authorities and armed groups, protests, strategic developments, riots, and explosions/remote violence. The South-West recorded a decline of 14.1 per cent in the total number of incidents between 2023 and 2025. However, the fatality rate increased by 12.21 per cent. The picture takes a different look in the three geopolitical regions of Northern Nigeria. Further analysis of the database showed that North-West incidents increased by 127.9 per cent between 2023 and 2025 and, in the process, recorded an increase of 99.1 per cent in the fatality rate. What Stakeholders Are Saying Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Dekor Dumnamene Robinson, had said the contributions of Tantita and its leadership to national security deserve appreciation. Also, in one of the strongest endorsements yet of the firm’s operations, lawmakers under the Joint Committee of the House of Representatives on Host Communities and Public Petitions and other stakeholders commended Tantita for what they described as effective and patriotic service in safeguarding Nigeria’s critical oil infrastructure. They specifically cited the recovery of crude oil production, reduction in pipeline vandalism and restoration of relative peace in oil-producing communities as major achievements recorded under the leadership of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Government Ekpemupolo. “Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, in partnership with NNPCL, has rendered demonstrably effective service in the protection of crude oil pipelines and the recovery of national crude oil production,” they stated. The Joint Committee subsequently passed a unanimous vote of confidence on the company and called on the Federal Government and NNPCL to approve a long-term renewal of the surveillance contract to consolidate gains already achieved in the fight against crude oil theft and illegal bunkering. “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,” he said. The National Chairman of Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM), His Highness Benjamin Style Tamaranebi JP, had further commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the confidence he has reposed in Tantita as a critical part of the security apparatus for protecting oil assets in the Niger Delta. “Let us be clear: Destroying our oil assets is economic suicide. It’s a direct attack on the very lifeline of our communities. Our host communities have endured environmental degradation, economic hardship, and neglect for decades. The passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was a turning point, ensuring that our communities finally receive direct benefits from the resources extracted from our land,” he said. He said Tantita Security Services and other security outfits are crucial in safeguarding Nigeria’s oil assets. Their presence has helped to curb oil theft, improve production levels and stabilise the national economy. He said: “HOSTCOM believes that the unique understanding of the Niger Delta terrain by Tantita and its personnel is vital for effective onslaught against oil theft, and it’s imperative that our security agencies and other critical stakeholders in our region recognise the selfless contributions of Tantita and its main promoter, our own indefatigable Niger Delta crusader for better life for our people and champion of equitable and fair distribution of the nation’s resources, High Chief, Dr. Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, the Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation and support them”. A Lagos-based social analyst, Jamiu Idris, said to appreciate the current stability in the Niger Delta region, one must recall the state of near-collapse that defined Nigeria’s oil industry just a few years ago. “Before the implementation of the TSSNL framework in late 2022, the nation faced an existential threat. Oil production had cratered to a historic low of 1.015 million barrels per day (bpd) in September 2022—a staggering decline that jeopardised the federal budget, weakened the naira, and pushed the economy towards the brink of insolvency,” he stated.