National
CMA Writes President Tinubu, Urges Him to Sustain Tantita Pipeline Security Model Citing Gains in Oil Output
By Favour Bibaikefie
A coalition of professionals under the banner of the Common Men Assembly (CMA) has called on President to sustain and strengthen the current pipeline surveillance framework led by , warning that any disruption to the system could reverse recent gains in Nigeria’s oil sector.
In a detailed position paper addressed to the President, the group—comprising experts in oil and gas engineering, maritime security, energy economics, environmental risk assessment and conflict resolution—said its submission was based on “field realities, operational data and national economic priorities,” rather than sentiment.
Pre-2022: Era of Losses
The CMA painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s oil sector before the introduction of the current surveillance model in August 2022, noting that crude production had fallen significantly below the country’s OPEC benchmark.
According to the group, output dropped to between 1.0 and 1.2 million barrels per day, while losses from oil theft and pipeline vandalism were estimated at hundreds of thousands of barrels daily.
These losses, it said, translated into severe revenue shortfalls, mounting fiscal pressure and declining investor confidence, with Nigeria temporarily losing its position as Africa’s leading oil producer.
Illegal refining activities, pipeline breaches and unregulated crude evacuation through waterways were also widespread during the period, further compounding the crisis.
Post-Intervention Improvements
The group, however, noted a marked turnaround following the engagement of .
It stated that crude oil production has since rebounded toward higher levels, while incidents of theft and vandalism have reduced considerably.
Beyond the figures, CMA highlighted a shift in operational confidence, saying criminal networks have been weakened, while host communities are increasingly aligning with lawful economic activities.
“The transition from systemic loss to measurable recovery did not happen by chance,” the group said, attributing the improvement to a coordinated and locally integrated security architecture.
Model of Stability
The CMA further described the Tantita framework as more than a conventional security contract, portraying it as a stabilising system anchored on local intelligence, structured command and community participation.
Under the leadership of High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo and Engr. Kestin Pondi, the group said the model has combined operational discipline with grassroots engagement, enabling effective surveillance across challenging terrains.
It also pointed to the employment impact of the initiative, noting that thousands of youths have been engaged directly and indirectly, thereby reducing vulnerability to criminal activities.
Broader Impact
According to the Assembly, the intervention has delivered gains beyond security, including improved government revenue, enhanced fiscal stability and renewed investor interest in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
It also cited environmental and social benefits, such as the dismantling of illegal refining sites, reduction in oil spills, and improved cooperation between communities and authorities.
Warning Against Fragmentation
The group cautioned against attempts to decentralise or fragment the current surveillance structure, warning that such a move could weaken coordination, reignite community disputes and expose critical infrastructure to renewed sabotage.
It argued that pipeline security should be treated as a core economic priority, noting that disruptions directly affect national revenue, production capacity and international credibility.
Call for Evidence-Based Decisions
While urging the President to resist sectional pressures, the CMA emphasised the need for policy decisions to be guided by verifiable outcomes and national interest.
“We must protect systems that are delivering results,” the group stated, warning that altering the current structure could trigger a relapse into large-scale oil theft, declining output and economic instability.
The CMA concluded that Nigeria’s recent recovery in oil production and sector confidence is closely tied to the present surveillance framework, stressing that maintaining and strengthening the system is critical to sustaining national economic stability.
The statement was signed by Chief Jude Angodideke (Chairman), Mr. Miepekumo Brialade (Secretary General) and Engr. Duopayoebiyo Akemotubo (Spokesman) on behalf of the Assembly.
National
Dr. Mulade Raises Concern Over Rising Hunger and Hardship, Urges President Tinubu to Take Urgent Action
By Favour Bibaikefie
Niger Delta born renowned human and development advocate, Comrade Mulade Sheriff, PhD, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to adopt bold and pragmatic steps to stop Nigerians from dying silently and publicly as a result of hunger, hardship, and insecurity challenges in the country.
Mulade made the call in a statement he released to news men on Tuesday, wherein he expressed his displeasure over political office holders’ bid to seeking election while less attention to the level of hunger and poverty felt across the nation.
“We must rise above the challenges and stop the avoidable deaths of Nigerians on daily basis because of leadership failure towards citizens welfare and protection,” Mulade charged.
The United Nations peace ambassador, said the Niger Delta region is a bit calm because of the massive engagements of the youths by pipeline surveillance contractors.
He said, “It is imperative to state that the current saving grace in the Niger Delta particularly the oil and gas sector is because of the current pipeline surveillance contracts awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, the Pipeline Infrastructure Limited etc., who have helped to engage majority of the youths and create some level of economic stability in the region.
“If not, the insecurity situation in the region would have been worse off than in the North East, West and Central, which may have thrown Nigeria into serious economic meltdown,” he noted.
The Ibe-Sorimowei of Ancient oil-rich Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State strongly appealed to President Tinubu to sustain the current pipeline surveillance contracts to save our dwindling economy from further deteriorating, especially as we approach the 2027 general elections.
He emphasized strongly on the needs to protect lives and properties which is the primary responsibility of government.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, should not abandoned the protection of its citizens and concentrate on reelection bid.
“It is worthy of note that Nigerians are losing trust and confidence in our government at all levels because it seems political office holders are more concerned with the syndrome of holding unto power instead of creating economic stability, citizens welfare, development and protection.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR must act now to save Nigerians and our dire nation from collapsing; we must work to be truly the economic giant of Africa, not just in population and landmass,” he added.
National
“Ending Tompolo’s Pipeline Surveillance Contract Will Push Niger Delta Youths Back Into Crime” —Freeborn Abraye Warns President Tinubu
By Uche Alvin
Human rights activist and Niger Delta advocate, Freeborn Abraye, has warned that terminating the pipeline surveillance contract handled by Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, could plunge thousands of youths in the Niger Delta back into unemployment, poverty and criminal activities.
Abraye made the statement while reacting to growing calls from certain political interests urging Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cancel the pipeline protection contract currently executed by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.
According to him, such a move would reverse the fragile peace that has been painstakingly built across the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta.
“The President must understand that terminating the pipeline surveillance contract of High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo, will amount to pushing thousands of Niger Delta youths back into hunger and starvation,” Abraye said.
He stressed that the unemployment crisis in the Niger Delta remains one of the region’s most pressing challenges, adding that the engagement of local youths by Tantita Security Services has provided a legitimate source of livelihood for thousands who would otherwise be vulnerable to crime.
“The problem of unemployment in the Niger Delta is massive. For decades, young people in the region have struggled to find legitimate opportunities for survival. Today, the pipeline surveillance initiative under Tantita has become one of the most effective grassroots economic interventions in the region,” he said.
Abraye noted that the initiative has significantly reduced incidents of oil theft, pipeline vandalism, piracy and other criminal activities that once plagued the oil-rich region.
“Thousands of young men and women who were previously idle now have structured employment. They are protecting national assets while earning a legitimate income. This has drastically reduced the crime rate across several communities,” he explained.
He warned that cancelling the contract could reopen old wounds that had already begun to heal.
“Ending the contract will simply reopen the wounds of unemployment that have been carefully stitched up through Tompolo’s initiative. When people lose the only source of survival available to them, desperation follows,” Abraye stated.
The activist further urged President Tinubu to resist pressure from individuals and groups calling for the cancellation of the contract, describing such voices as politically motivated.
“The President should ignore calls from unscrupulous elements and self-serving politicians demanding the termination of this contract. Many of them do not understand the delicate security dynamics of the Niger Delta or the role local participation plays in sustaining peace,” he said.
According to Abraye, the current level of peace, security and stability recorded in the region cannot be separated from the pipeline surveillance operations coordinated by Tompolo.
“The present peace in the Niger Delta did not happen by accident. It is the result of strategic engagement with local stakeholders, and Tompolo has played a central role in sustaining that stability,” he added.
Abraye therefore called on the Federal Government to strengthen, rather than dismantle, initiatives that empower local communities while protecting critical national infrastructure.
“The Federal Government must consolidate on the progress already made. Any policy decision that threatens the livelihood of thousands of Niger Delta youths risks destabilizing the region again,” he warned.
He concluded by emphasizing that preserving economic opportunities for the youth remains one of the most effective strategies for maintaining lasting peace in the Niger Delta.
By Favour Bibaikefie
Abuja — The House of Representatives has commenced legislative steps to provide a dedicated legal framework for Nigeria’s national decarbonisation programme, a move lawmakers say is meant to strengthen climate governance, guide implementation, and make the investment environment clearer for low-carbon projects, Punch Newspaper reported.
Chairman of the House Committee on Mandatory National Decarbonisation, Rep. Sesi Whingan, disclosed this after a technical roundtable with stakeholders in Abuja, noting that while Nigeria already has the Climate Change Act (2021), the proposed National Decarbonisation Bill is designed to align and coordinate decarbonisation initiatives across sectors.
Whingan said the bill has passed first and second readings in the Green Chamber and is expected to move to a public hearing before the end of the month, as the House continues consultations with industry, civil society and experts.
At the roundtable, Whingan stressed that predictable rules and financing clarity are key to unlocking capital, saying stakeholders agreed on the need for closer executive-legislative alignment so that investors can better understand Nigeria’s direction.
The Vanguard report quoted the Director for Africa at the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Wangari Muchiri, as describing the decarbonisation push as both necessary and economically promising, arguing it could help Nigeria “create jobs” and attract investment while diversifying the economy.
In a related development, as reported on the Peoples Daily Newspaper, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Rep. Muktar Shagaya, warned that climate change impacts are no longer distant, calling it a “lived experience for Nigerians” across regions—from drought and desertification to flooding and erosion—and urged urgent national action.
What the proposed legal framework could cover
Beyond general policy alignment, recent parliamentary documents indicate lawmakers have been weighing a bill structure that would establish a National Decarbonisation Authority, mandate Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems, and create financing mechanisms—such as a Nigeria Green Transition Facility and a Just Transition Fund—as part of Nigeria’s decarbonisation pathway as the nass.gov.ng puts it.
Nigeria’s decarbonisation ambitions are linked to its broader commitment to achieve net-zero by 2060, with the federal government’s Energy Transition Plan framed as a pathway to “reducing emissions and powering development.”
Why this matters now
Officials and policy advocates say tighter climate laws can improve investor confidence by reducing regulatory uncertainty—especially for renewables, clean transport, climate-smart agriculture and low-carbon industry—at a time Nigeria is pitching climate action as a development opportunity, including efforts to mobilise large-scale climate finance.
Meanwhile, as reported by The Nation Newspaper, House committees have also been spotlighting the scale of potential climate-smart investments tied to Nigeria’s transition conversation, as lawmakers increasingly frame decarbonisation as both an environmental necessity and an economic strategy.