The Niger Delta Roundtable, yesterday, rose from an emergency meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, resolving that pipeline contracts in the region should no longer be awarded to an individual but spread across states and communities to touch the lives of those who bear the brunt of exploration and the securing of national assets.
The statement by Dr Taro Theophilus, stated that after a careful analysis of the contract’s performance, it was found to be an abysmal failure, as illegal bunkering still held sway in the region and asset vandalism remained common.
‘In the first eight months of 2025, Nigeria lost 93.74 million barrels of crude oil and condensate production against its own budget targets. At Bonny Light’s average price of $73.06 per barrel, that is $6.85 billion in revenue that Nigeria produced for no one.
‘These are not opposition figures. They came from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s own data, confirmed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
‘The pipeline surveillance contract was commissioned to prevent exactly this. It has not. The 2025 federal budget assumed daily production of 2.06 million barrels. Actual output averaged 1.673 million barrels per day, a shortfall of 390,000 barrels every single day.
‘Nigeria met its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota of 1.5 million barrels per day in just three months of the entire year. September was the worst, when output fell to 1.39 million barrels per day.
‘By January 2026, six consecutive months into missing its OPEC target, Nigeria was producing 1.459 million barrels per day against a 2026 budget benchmark of 1.84 million’.
Meanwhile, stakeholders and community leaders in Tombia, Degema Local Council Area of Rivers State, have commended Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited for its role in securing oil and gas infrastructure in the region.
The firm, operated by former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, was first awarded the pipeline surveillance contract in August 2022, with a renewal in 2024.
At an appraisal meeting held at the community’s town hall, a youth leader, Tarry Fayofori, and other stakeholders described the company’s performance as effective, noting a significant reduction in oil theft and illegal refining activities since its engagement.
Community spokesman, Dennis Philip, said the company’s presence has contributed to increased national oil output and improved security across the region.
The stakeholders urged the Federal Government to sustain its contract with Tantita, describing its operations as one of the most successful interventions in protecting Nigeria’s critical oil infrastructure.
