Patriotism is a conscious sense of commitment to the true self and love for a nation and its people. It is a firm conviction to defend the country’s economy, politics and developmental values which function as the strong guard of willingness to make a country grow as a developing nation.

Yes, Nigeria is a very rich country with an abundance of natural resources in the African continent. Sadly, it is the country where the economy is badly affected in the developmental growth of the Nation but has the citizenry moved on the ladder of the quagmire? People swing on the wheel of poverty and no patriotic sense of ownership. Those who ought to stand for the country are all contributing just to collect their cake from the National treasury of the oil from the Niger Delta while the mangrove, the environment and its people suffer the pains from the ecosystem.

Within the Context of Natural resources, Nigeria mainly depends on its economic power from the Niger Delta Region, especially the oil resources over centuries but no tangible development as the poverty rate increases like a pandemic chopping deep into the people’s lives. Daily, the oil that was supposed to develop the region becomes a curse with a lot of military bombardment, environmental degradation, and conflict development agitation, “We thought it was Oil, but It was Blood.” Yes, a swamp full of dollars but none could see the evidence of it from the multinational oil companies cum leadership failures within and outside.

Who can save Nigeria from the political and economic quagmire? All stretched their long spoon to ‘eat the oil’ and abandon the people to the economic meltdown, recession, insecurity, and pipeline vandalism with so many committees to curb Oil Theft but the menace becomes increasingly dangerous and Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart,” with an unseated centre by the survivalist movement for self-aggrandizement through gunboats, and houseboats on both offshore and onshore borderline to secure the pipeline.

Nonetheless, everybody sent was hopeful to gain from the oil, the doctrine of ‘collect and I collect’ as it is a Federal Government property and assets–no sense of patriotism! Yes, everybody’s business is nobody’s business. More military, more ‘kpofire’(illegal refineries), more vandalism, more bunkers. Daily militarisation of innocent communities, increase in sea pirates, kidnapping, drugs addictions, and confrontation of security personnel and sea pirates have been evidence of oil theft and social vices in the Niger Delta region.

Who is that committed patriot to make the country free from the saga of oil theft in the Niger Delta region recorded so far with loss of barrels of crude oil from the NNPCL Database?

From political theft to security threats to the spoon users who are always at the receiving end of fire on their canoes and thatch houses while the pipelines are connected to the sea to continue, more oil surveillance, more loss of barrels produced daily. All these are researched facts!

Yes, governance needs to look inward on who could save Nigeria on the battle line of oil theft, a proponent of war against cabals, and cartels within the power that can invade you at all times. Yes, someone is always there to make a new shift in the history of sectors and the Country. The former warlord, freedom fighter, fearless and dogged master of the creeks, the lord of the lords from the Niger Delta region, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo aka, Patriot Beyond Compatriots, the Godhead of Egbesu’s spirituality, whose intelligence is like the tortoise in Ijaw adage in the Animal kingdom, the most wanted but ironically most sincere man of his firm dreams of a better Niger Delta region, and a better Nigeria that has the vision to develop and connect the creeks to the national grid, decided to take up the gauntlet and cause a change for the Creek child hopes to obtain an education in the creeks in front of his community with a pipe full of oil, but he is unemployed.

Tompolo has a confirmed conviction that truth is a very dangerous sword in Nigeria, and he believes that it is only those who have one Nigeria as a country that can stand for it to the end.

The Federal government of Nigeria knows the pedigree and antecedent of Tompolo and awarded the Pipeline line surveillance to TOMPOLO’S own Security company in the year 2022. Tantita Security Surveillance Nigeria LTD to curb oil theft in the Niger Delta region. Yes, it was a very big project and Tompolo made extensive consultations with Niger Delta stakeholders across states and the military for collaboration, and his team of intelligence workforce. Within four months, the Niger Delta region brought sanity to the oil sectors and improved the production in the oil industry with the environment regaining greeny mangroves, fishes returned, soothe no more, kpo-fire–all hail Tompolo! Yes he has no other country to call his own, the fight of sanity is a fight for a change. Those canoes the military set ablaze as Oil theft in the Niger Delta region stopped but the big ships and vessels are on the move. Tompolo brought to the public what the government sector find most dangerous to handle. They will fight back, we all anticipated this in the Niger Delta region, the creek people know that the fear of Tompolo is the beginning of curbing oil theft.

Tantita created one of the largest employers of labour as a private security company in the Niger Delta region.Those who were involved in oil theft repented voluntarily to work with Tantita to save the environment and the people’s health situation. Yes, House of Representatives set up a committee on oil theft in the Niger Delta region in the last administration before the Tantita operation. But to date no report to the public domain from the House for fear of threat. On the plain ground, who could threaten Tompolo on duty? I have never seen such a conspiracy in normal business!

The journey of saving a country has its challenges and many vessels are caught in the act of oil theft. The Federal Government has to send a strong signal to perpetrators as a way to deter others from going into the act by setting the vessels ablaze, not once or twice, the last was a air blast in Delta state. It is the biggest profile among all the contractors in the history of Surveillance contract work that could compare with Tompolo’s Tantita.

Today, Tantita security surveillance LTD and the Navy are in a Tussle instead of working to help the economy of the country to curb oil theft. If today Tantita security surveillance is no longer on this path to curb oil theft in the Niger Delta region, Nigeria Government should know that nobody can stop oil theft in the Niger Delta region and Nigeria; these are facts before the public and international communities. Or is the Navy angry at the sincere workforce obligation of Tantita?

The Pandemic will be too dangerous than COVID-19 as both young and old key actors in oil theft are praying that the river opens–“I hope the contract is one year, we want to go back to the bunkery.” That during the Time of the military on guard, it is you chop I chop” these were voices from field operations.

Sophocles once said “How dreadful the Knowledge of truth can be when there is no help in truth”

The presidency should show urgent concerns to avoid name-calling of Tantita Security Surveillance LTD unprofessional. This could only send a signal that the Nigerian government is not appreciative to the work responsibility of Tantita Security Surveillance LTD sacrifice of lives in protecting the government infrastructure so that oil could flow, and reciprocating this gesture by extending the scope of operation, oil companies should be deeply involved in oil-producing communities’ development with roads and other social infrastructure.

Tantita security surveillance LTD stands tall in the history of curbing oil theft in Nigeria, in the Niger Delta region where oil theft and pipeline vandalism, the menace of Kpofire become like wildlife engulfing the whole region. Tantita Security Surveillance addressed almost the most dangerous challenges of security threat in the Niger Delta creeks and Sea lines in this period of operation. These includes but not limited to:

1. Pipeline Vandalism

Over the years, pipeline vandalism and bunkers were on the increase where federal government spent billions of Naira to engage Nigerian security outfits and other private companies to safeguard the national economic assets of the country, both radios and television advert, with Nigeria’s Civil Defence Corps with a lot of road blockade to curbing vandalism but the menace increases uncontrollably. Oil companies lamented daily, counting their losses. Bunkers at all levels– local and international— are just a normal business in the means of Nigerian security, very obvious acts were seen in the Niger Delta region but within one year, former President Buhari and the National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited signed the Surveillance contract with Tompolo Tantita, the syndrome of the unusual pandemic of pipeline vandalism was curbed by Tompolo and his Tantita. That is an absolute workforce of patriotic commitment, no stone unturned! It was pipeline vandalism that led to different military formations with code names such as the Crocodile Smile, all to fight oil theft in the Niger Delta region, but today, one patriotic command has silenced all the turbulence situation in the oil sector with a lot of insults and attacks. Have the military and the oil companies clapped for Tompolo?

2. TANTITA BROUGHT DOWN THE POLLUTION OF THE NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENT, AN ACT OF REMEDIATION.

Illegal oil activities over the years have consumed the greener mangrove forests as oil pollution engulfs the waters, land and air. The people in the Niger region lost hope to breathe fresh air. From Akwa-IBom to Ondo state, trees are dying, fishes are dying, people can’t go into their daily occupation of fishing on the river, and creeks and Sea are dead fish. Everywhere Kpofire activities cause soothing and black snowfall on rooftops; rain waters became dark, aged men and women can’t breathe well, and little children with unusual illnesses in almost all the Niger Delta region States as a result of illegal oil bunkering activities. The Tompolo Tantita security surveillance came within one year, curbing the age-long key actors of this act with engagement, recruiting them into the company to stop the evil of environmental pollution. It is on this conscious act that Tompolo told the Niger Delta people that “If we destroy our environment, it is us that are going to suffer the aftermath of this, not even the oil companies who came from far away.” This is Nigeria, our country, the Niger Delta region is our home. If we destroy the environment today, we do not have any other country than Nigeria, let us not destroy it. With the key sense of addressing the root cause of it, and engaging the perpetrators both young boys, women and other stakeholders, Tantita has today made history in curbing oil theft within a year. The Federal and MultiNational oil companies and security personnel should be appreciative of this company for their intelligent dispositions and patriotism. Different Researchers, both local and international NGOs will attest to this reality of what I am saying because I have been engaged as a researcher over the past 8 years on the activities of environmental pollution, kpofire and oil theft research works done.

3. Tantita security surveillance curbed oil theft and Sea pirates activities in the Niger Delta creeks to allow the peaceful coexistence of communities and oil company workers.

The menace of oil theft is a proliferation of different crimes in the Niger Delta waterways, as people go into the activities of oil theft, vandalism and Kpofire, other young vibrant boys are seriously on the waterways of the creeks and at the sea to attack vessels that are siphoning illegal crude oil to neighbouring countries. What High powered sea pirates do on some occasions is to hijack the illegal vessel at gunpoint, transfer the crude to another illegal vessel, and on a deal sell off the crude oil, tie the vessel down, or kidnap them.

During the period of operation they get their money and drive off the Sea. This High-level operation happened in the sea, this is evidence-based research work done by myself with reputable organizations on the increase of sea pirates in the Niger Delta region. This is at the sea level and the rivers; nothing has been done before Tantita security surveillance came. Then at the creek level, the sea pirates will attack those women and men who are doing Kpofire, collect their money at gunpoint, and rape the women who are doing their local trade and selling the illegally refined diesel from both River state, Bayelsa state, Delta state, Edo and Ondo, but when the Tompolo Tantita security surveillance came, it put an end to sea piracy in the Niger Delta this is a clear testimony nobody has talked aboutl. The fear of Tompolo and his approach is the beginning of curbing social insecurity in the Niger Delta region. Tompolo does not negotiate with evil on the share of 50/ 50, because of practical engagement. If you ask Tompolo he will share with you but as a journalist and a researcher, all these points are recorded facts from field operation and interviews. In the last two years sea pirates’ operations didn’t allow people from Bayelsa, Delta and Edo to go to markets or visit their hometowns. In some parts of Bayelsa, people take permits to travel to their communities because of pirates.

In Spite of the state’s water and land security, these things happen. If you do not inform them, you are gone, so when the contract was given to Tompolo’s Tantita, he sent a message to all and sundry that “If you give me peace, I will give you peace, if you give me a problem, you can’t hide from me in this Niger Delta region, let us come together and work to save our environment.”

Yes so many people grumbled but the reality is that Tompolo was a former Niger Delta Warlord; his Yes is Yes, his No is No. He has no two answers. Those who knew him will comfort themselves and take the peaceful approach and his firm agitation for development that brought about the Presidential Amnesty and the Peace Nigerians are enjoying from the Niger Delta region today.

Nigeria government and its security should at all times appreciate Tompolo and his Tantita security surveillance; people should trample on the heels of Tantita intelligence on this selfless and patriotic assignment.

What is the fate of the Niger Delta? A committed private security company like Tompolo’s Tantita is rare in history in every country. Nobody can stop oil theft in this country.

The Nigerian military at all levels, who have no other country like Tompolo should work genuinely in full collaboration to curb the menace of oil theft in the country because Tantita intelligence security is made up of top security personnel, who have deep knowledge beyond doubt. They know both the movement of legal oil carrying vessels and the illegal vessels.

And at this point of my appraisal, it is important that I recommend Tompolo’s Tantita to the Presidency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in all sincerity to extend the scope of Tantita security surveillance service from the creeks of its operation to the sea level to curb oil theft at the international water borderlines if truly Nigerians want to stop oil theft in the country. It will not be more than three months. The economy and the testimonies will be seen at the international world oil market and production capacity in both offshore and onshore. Tantita works more than magic!

Tantita security surveillance LTD is a spiritual and physical force to fight against Oil theft as the only remedy to free Nigerians from the known act of oil theft to compete globally like other countries. Many challenges but the firm is ready to deliver at all points. Total corporations at all levels of governance are what they seek to have; total confidence and protection the people need at all times in their points of duty.

Asiayei Enaibo
The Talking Drum
Writes from GbaramatuVoice media organization

The post Oil Theft: Nigeria, Security Forces, And Multi-Nationals Should Appreciate Tompolo’s Patriotism -By Asiayei Enaibo first appeared on Opinion Nigeria.