INCREASED OIL OUTPUT: Tantita demands more collaboration from Heads of security in Niger Delta

The Managing Director, Tantita Security Services Limited, High Chief Kestin Pondi has demanded more cooperation from the various Security Chiefs in the Niger Delta region in order to achieve the goals of increased oil production for improved financial earnings for the Country.

Pondi made the appeal Tuesday at Tantita headquarters Warri during a visit of the Commander, Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Neol. M. Madugu and his team on tour of the region.

The MD boasted that since their operation, crude oil production has surged forward and there is a cleaner environment to the envy of all.

According to him, “Since we assumed this responsibility of safeguarding oil infrastructures, you are the first Commander to visit us, it is indeed a remarkable thing. It is worthy of note because this is going to mark a new dawn, a new era for us.

“As you already know, we have the responsibility to see oil pipelines also to prevent illegal refining and chief of all is to ensure that production goes to where Nigeria needs it. This moment, we are still not where we want, we are still behind, but then we have also made a lot of gains.

“So, before we assumed office, it was a terrible situation for the Niger Delta as a consensus environment, first then as a consensus as a mission for those who died, we were below I million barrels per day, we were about 700million to 800 million barrels per day, it was very terrible.

“Our environment was so bad that we couldn’t even fish in the inner waters. We breathe in these black soot every time you come out to jog and you commit the money, and you find out that if you wipe your nose with any tissue paper, it turns black. That was terrible, so I can tell you that today, it is different.

“Our responsibility was just to come do surveillance, give intelligence, then we're supposed to just sit back. But then we got to that point where, if we do it like that, which had always been the norm, you give somebody a contract to watch over a pipeline, the man sits over the pipeline and closes his eyes to every other thing that his contract does not cover.

“That approach had always been why we were not getting the result that we needed, and so Tantita had to employ a different kind of approach. Our approach was that we try to tackle the problem holistically, fight it from all fronts, the demand front, the supplier front, and we, to an appreciable extent, employ carrot and stick.

“But then we're happy that with the collaboration between us and the DSS, the Police, the Army, the JTF, the Civil Defence people, and even including the Navy.

“Sir, when we started, tankers were carrying products freely. The land tankers, they were carrying product freely. But as we speak now, they have employed so many different means to carry their product, and we still catch them, and it has really helped that approach, that the then CDS, retired now employed, was very, very effective. Destruction serves as deterrence.

“It means that if you invest in one, if you buy one tanker today and it is destroyed, if you buy now and tomorrow it is destroyed, you will not want to put money into that business. The same applies to the illegal refineries. If you build it today, they destroy it. Tomorrow, you build it, destroy it. Next morning, destroy it. You have to stop because you are wasting and you are losing money.

“That approach has always, has already given us the kind of result we want. But for now, coming back to whether we are actually where we are, no, we are not there. Do we have challenges? Yes, we have a lot of them. Western corridor, which is Delta, is very, very okay. I was talking to my operational team yesterday, and we're looking at the chat and we found out that for over three months, or four months now, it has only been green. There has not been any incident.

“But we cannot say the same about Western central corridor. We still have some areas in Bayelsa where we still have some pockets of issues, we still have some areas in Rivers where we still have some pockets of issues. And so, sir, we will want a stronger collaboration to the one we have to sustain what we have achieved, and to push further to achieve more.

“It's difficult without you. We can't do this alone, our people are shot at almost every now and then. We have also lost people, the military has also lost people, the Civil Defence has also lost people in the fight against these illegal activities to get here. Many people have shed their blood to get to where we had to be, and if not, because we have this collaboration with the Security, I don't think that will be able to stand to face these people.

“And so this collaboration is something that cannot be overemphasized. We need it now. We need it yesterday. We need it tomorrow, and we're always going to move it to ensure that Nigeria gets better production than we are today. I want to once again. Thank you very much.

On his part Rear Admiral Noel M. Madugu said, “My area of responsibility, includes Tantita and all other private surveillance companies, or contractors, as they are called, because I have a mandate, and I believe the mandate is a mandate that Tantita, other security agencies should have crude oil production in Nigeria to step up.

“The mandate is 2.5 to 3 million barrels per day, and we cannot achieve that without synergy and collaboration with all the agencies involved. That's why I decided to go around to meet all stakeholders in that we must achieve the mandate given by the President of this country.

“And I'm happy to state that so far, with the collaboration and relationship I'm having with both communities, the surveillance contractors and other security agencies is excellent. So I believe by the end of this year, 2025 that 2.5 or more will be achieved.

“So with your collaboration, what I want you to do is to carry the communities along, wherever you are operating, carry everybody along and sensitization is very key. Let the people know what you are doing and why you are there. Apart from that, you must do the Corporate Social Responsibility without developmental project in those communities, they won't know that it is for the betterment of everybody in the country.

“The more crude oil the country has, the better for all of us. That means more revenue for Nigeria and with the derivation policy, 13% to all states it means more funds will come to the communities and more development. So I think it is better for all of us to work together to achieve our end. Thank you very much.” He added.