Leaders of Niger Delta host communities, members of the House of Representatives, and other stakeholders have dismissed renewed calls for the decentralisation of the Tantita pipeline surveillance contract, describing such demands as misleading and inconsistent with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
Joint Retreat Rejects Decentralisation
This position was reached at a Joint Retreat involving the House Committee on Host Communities and Public Petitions, alongside representatives of oil-bearing communities and local government areas hosting key petroleum infrastructure. Participants at the retreat argued that the PIA already provides a structured and decentralised framework for community participation in pipeline protection through the Host Communities Development Trust structure and the statutory three per cent operational allocation to host communities.
Legal Framework Under PIA
They specifically referenced Sections 234 to 258 of the Act, which they said empower host communities to take part in safeguarding oil and gas infrastructure through legally recognised institutions. The stakeholders also cautioned against what they described as “misleading campaigns” seeking to fragment or redistribute the pipeline surveillance contract currently managed by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.
According to them, the arrangement remains a private commercial agreement between the Federal Government—acting through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited—and Tantita, and therefore does not fall under the statutory framework of the PIA’s Host Communities Development Trusts. They warned that continued agitation over the contract could distract from more urgent regional priorities, particularly efforts to increase the statutory host community funding from three per cent to six per cent.
Unanimous Resolution
The retreat unanimously resolved that the existing legal framework under the PIA already provides adequate decentralisation for community involvement in pipeline surveillance and should be respected. Stakeholders further maintained that the Tantita contract is not subject to ethnic, political, or regional sharing arrangements, urging all interested parties to halt calls for its “decentralisation.”
Call for Focus on PIA Implementation
They also called on Niger Delta leaders, youth groups, traditional rulers, and advocacy organisations to focus instead on strengthening implementation of the PIA and supporting ongoing legislative efforts to boost funding for host communities. The meeting reaffirmed its commitment to protecting critical oil infrastructure and sustaining peace and stability in the Niger Delta through lawful, institutional mechanisms established under the Petroleum Industry Act, including the Host Communities Development Trust structure.
