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A Niger-Delta activist, Comrade Preye Tambou, has appealed to ethnic champions and pressure groups in Delta State to reconsider their opposition to the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, warning that ethnic agitation over the deal could undermine national security and ongoing gains in the oil and gas sector.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Warri, Tambou said the impact of Tantita’s engagement was evident, noting that Nigeria’s crude oil production has improved significantly after hitting record lows before the company took over pipeline surveillance duties.
He described calls for the cancellation or redistribution of the contract along ethnic lines as misguided, insisting that the award was based on merit and operational competence, not ethnic considerations.
“Pipeline surveillance is a federal security contract, not a common wealth to be shared among ethnic groups or communities,” Tambou stated. “Oil is a national asset belonging to Nigeria, as clearly provided for in the Constitution and the Petroleum Industry Act.”
The activist cautioned against turning the issue into an ethnic debate, stressing that such narratives only breed division and weaken collective security.
According to him, arguments that the contract should be cancelled or reallocated on ethnic grounds are neither principled nor constructive, but rather political tools capable of undermining national stability.
