Pipeline Surveillance Contract: N'Delta Cleric urges Tinubu to maintain status quo

A Niger Delta based cleric and General Overseer of Goshen Freedom Tabernacle, GFT, Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area, Prophet Austin Ariole JP today urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to maintain the status quo as regards renewal of the pipeline surveillance contract in the region.

Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited,TSSNL has been protecting and guarding the nation's critical assets and infrastructure in the Niger Delta region against vandals and oil thieves since 2022. 

The cleric, in an open letter to the President Tinubu, copies of which were made available to newsmen in Warri cautioned that "the President should not allow the oil pipeline surveillance contract become a battle for those presently protecting the nation's assets".

"Let decisions be guided by performance data, national interest, and long-term stability", the cleric stated.

The open letter read in part, "Maintaining the status quo in pipeline surveillance, while strengthening oversight and expanding accountability across the oil sector, appears to be the most prudent path forward.

"The Niger Delta needs sustained peace. Nigeria needs stable revenue. Our economy needs coordinated reform not fragmentation.

"May wisdom guide your administration in preserving what is working while improving what must be strengthened."

Prophet Ariole said, "Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited has done excellently well. There is no compelling reason at this time to change the contractor or divide the contract."

According to him, "The Gains We Must Not Reverse. Before the current surveillance structure, oil theft in the Niger Delta had reached alarming proportions. Pipeline vandalism was rampant. Illegal refining sites commonly known as kpofire were widespread. Lives were lost. Communities were destabilized. National revenue suffered immensely."

Prophet Ariole noted that, "Significant reduction in crude oil theft Improved daily production output Near elimination of large-scale illegal refining camps Relative peace across once-volatile waterways, These outcomes are measurable. They are visible. They are economically impactful.
Security in the Niger Delta is not an abstract conversation; it is directly tied to Nigeria’s fiscal stability, foreign exchange strength, and investor confidence."

He said, "Disrupting a structure that is working may carry unintended consequences. Why the Status Quo Matters Security architecture in fragile regions must be handled with strategic continuity. Splitting or abruptly altering the existing arrangement could create operational fragmentation
Encourage rivalry among local interests,disrupt intelligence coordination,risk a resurgence of sabotage and economic losses."

He added that, "The cost of instability far outweighs the cost of continuity. Where results are evident, consolidation not disruption is the wiser course."