A socio-political organisation in the South-South, the Niger Delta Civil Society Forum, has condemned what it described as coordinated and malicious social media attacks against the Federal Government-contracted pipeline surveillance firm, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, and its leadership.
The group expressed concern that the individuals responsible for the attacks were oil thieves and economic saboteurs whose illegal activities had been disrupted.
The NDCSF also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to remain resolute and disregard what it called the noise from disgruntled individuals posing as concerned citizens.
According to the forum, the smear campaigns targeting Tantita and its leadership would not derail Nigeria’s ongoing economic recovery.
The position of the group was contained in a statement issued on Thursday in Warri, Delta State, and signed by the NDCSF Coordinator, Ezekiel Kagbala.
The forum said the persistent attacks against Tantita and its Chairman, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, were intended to discredit a security initiative that had helped restore order to the waterways of the Niger Delta and contributed significantly to Nigeria’s economic stability.
“Since Tantita’s engagement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in August 2022 to secure critical oil and gas infrastructure, the company has recorded unprecedented and verifiable successes in the fight against crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering,” the NDCSF said.
It added, “Crude oil theft has collapsed in major corridors, illegal pipeline connections have been dismantled, and Nigeria’s oil production has rebounded from historic lows to globally respectable levels.”
The statement continued, “These achievements are not opinions; they are measurable facts that directly reflect in national revenue and economic stability.
“National crude oil output, which had dropped to about 1.1 million barrels per day before Tantita’s deployment, has steadily improved, helping to stabilise government earnings and strengthen investor confidence in the oil and gas sector.”
While praising Ekpemupolo for what it described as a significant improvement in maritime safety and environmental protection across the Niger Delta, the forum said security had improved in creeks and waterways that were previously considered unsafe.
“The waterways of the Niger Delta are now safer for fishermen, traders and legitimate operators.
“Environmental degradation caused by illegal refining and crude spills has significantly reduced. This is a direct result of Tantita’s intelligence-driven operations and the leadership commitment of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo,” it said.
The NDCSF further alleged that those sponsoring the smear campaigns were “beneficiaries of chaos,” whose aim was to weaken enforcement efforts, disrupt progress and return Nigeria to a period marked by widespread vandalism, piracy and economic losses.
It warned that any move to undermine Tantita’s activities would amount to an attack on Nigeria’s national revenue, energy security and environmental sustainability, stressing that the country cannot afford a return to the period when oil theft thrived without control.
The forum therefore urged Tinubu to remain steadfast and disregard what it described as propaganda from disgruntled elements.
“The criminals are angry because their business has been shut down. That anger explains the propaganda. Tantita’s work must be protected, not politicised,” the statement added.
It also called on Nigerians to back initiatives that are producing visible results.
“Nigeria must choose progress over propaganda, national interest over criminal sympathy and economic recovery over sabotage,” the statement concluded.
