Tantita’s community-focused security drives improved oil output – HOSTCOM, writes NASS over alleged smear campaign

Leaders of oil and gas host communities under the aegis of the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) have said the services provided by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and Maton Engineering Company are largely responsible for the prevailing peace in oil-producing areas and the improvement in Nigeria’s crude oil output.

In an open letter addressed to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the group alleged that oil thieves displaced by the firms’ operations were behind what it described as smear campaigns targeted at the two companies.

The letter, signed by HOSTCOM’s National President, His Highness Benjamin Style Tamaranebi; National Secretary, Dr. Joshua Ojie; and 10 other officers, urged the National Assembly not to fall into what it termed an orchestrated plot by criminal elements to derail the Federal Government’s good intentions.

It read in part: “These companies have been contracted to provide pipeline security services, and we urge you to disregard any malicious attempts to undermine their efforts.

“We want you to be very mindful of the sponsors of this matter as we are preparing for the 2027 general election because it is a calculated attempt to derail and cause confusion in the Niger Delta Region.

“The Niger Delta Region has suffered greatly from oil theft, which has crippled our economy for over a decade. Tantita and Maton Engineering Company have made significant strides in curbing this menace and exposed all their sophisticated ways of milking Nigeria's economy by grinding governance to zero level.

“Before Tantita and Maton, our economy was gradually resuscitated with those big discoveries to salvage our economy. We are grateful for their contributions to our nation's economic stability.

“We wish to state that the current surveillance architecture, involving Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and Maton Engineering, was adopted by the Federal Government after years of economic sabotage that cost Nigeria billions of dollars in lost revenue.

“Since the engagement of these firms, crude oil theft has significantly reduced, production levels have drastically and astronomically improved, and community involvement has been broadened across ethnic and clan lines.

“We wish to further express that the existing pipeline surveillance model has accommodated key host and impacted communities through employment, stakeholders' involvement, and intelligence gathering.

“We implore the National Assembly to support the initiatives that promote sustainable security, peace, and development in the Niger Delta region. Tantita and Maton Engineering Company are working tirelessly to ensure our nation's oil resources are protected and utilized for the benefit of all Nigerians.

“The National Assembly should equally know that no community has the capacity to secure any pipeline in the Niger Delta without the support of capable security structures due to the way it has been weaponized, or such communities will be overrun by the dangerous cartels of oil theft who desperately do their business with guns and bullets.

“The government once adopted a military approach, and it didn't work out; rather, it was discovered that some corrupt military officers were using their position to influence the act of sabotage. Hence, this current approach, which is working perfectly with many discoveries that were unveiled.”

HOSTCOM further urged the National Assembly not to fall for what it described as the tricks of oil barons, warning that doing so could create an avenue for economic saboteurs to hijack and take control of oil facilities in the creeks.