Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) is intensifying efforts to address poverty and infrastructure shortages in Niger Delta communities through a range of corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Beyond its mandate of protecting Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure and helping to combat crude oil theft, the company has increasingly focused on improving the living conditions of communities hosting petroleum operations.
Its interventions have included the provision of potable water, solar-powered street lighting, road rehabilitation, education support, livelihood programmes and other social infrastructure.
The company recently demonstrated this commitment in seven communities in Delta State, where it partnered with one of its subcontractors, Grosvenor Global Services Limited, to commission solar-powered boreholes and streetlights.
The projects are designed to improve access to clean water, strengthen security and enhance the general quality of life of residents.
Tantita maintains that while government has a central responsibility to improve the welfare of citizens, private companies and other businesses can complement government efforts by investing in the communities where they operate.
The company said its CSR programmes are therefore structured to address pressing social and economic needs in its host communities.
President Bola Tinubu had appointed Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, led by High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, to support the protection of Nigeria’s oil assets in the Niger Delta.
The security company works alongside other security agencies and outfits to safeguard critical oil infrastructure, promote stability and help ensure that the country derives maximum economic value from its petroleum resources.
According to the report, Tantita’s surveillance operations have contributed to the protection of oil pipelines, reduced crude oil theft and supported the recovery and stability of Nigeria’s oil production.
Solar Projects Commissioned
The latest community projects include solar streetlights installed in Ajomata, Ikweghwu and Ibada-Amukpe, while solar-powered boreholes were provided in Ibada-Elume, Oyohen, Amukpe and Adagrassa communities.
Speaking during the commissioning, Tantita’s Community Relations Manager, Pastor Seimode Akposafagha Benedict, said the projects were aimed at improving the welfare of residents in communities connected to the company’s operations.
Representing Tantita’s Managing Director, High Chief Engr. Kestin Ebimorbowei Pondi, Seimode explained that Grosvenor Global Services Limited executed the projects under its corporate social responsibility programme.
He stressed that protecting oil and gas infrastructure should go beyond surveillance and security operations to include meaningful investments in the development and welfare of host communities.
He added that Tantita encourages its contractors and subcontractors to support initiatives capable of addressing local needs and strengthening peaceful relations between companies and residents.
Seimode also appealed to the beneficiary communities to protect and maintain the facilities so that they could continue serving residents for many years.
Communities Welcome Intervention
Chairman of Ajomata Community in Sapele Local Government Area, Cyril Omor-Oba, said the newly installed streetlights would improve security and movement within the community, particularly at night.
He appealed for more streetlights to be installed in areas that were not covered by the project and assured the companies involved that residents would protect the facilities.
Representatives of Ibada-Amukpe and Ikweghwu communities similarly said the streetlights had improved visibility along major roads and other public areas.
The Chairman of Ibada-Elume Community, Friday Omerhiowan, described the solar-powered borehole as a timely intervention that would provide residents with better access to clean water.
The projects are expected to improve security, facilitate safer movement, increase access to potable water and create an environment that supports social and economic activities.
Beyond Pipeline Surveillance
Tantita’s community interventions extend beyond the latest solar-powered projects. The company has also been involved in initiatives covering agriculture, education, roads, policing, scholarships and other areas of community development.
One of the notable programmes is the Sustainable Rice Farming Programme in Torugbene, developed in partnership with SDN and Ecosus Pro Nigeria. The initiative has provided legitimate employment opportunities for youths who were previously involved in oil bunkering.
The company reportedly invested N2.53 billion over three years in irrigation, training and cooperative management, with an ambition to place 100,000 hectares under cultivation.
Other infrastructure interventions include the rehabilitation of Bendel Estate Road and the construction of a new police headquarters in Ugborikoko.
In the education sector, Tantita has supported the Delta State College of Nursing Sciences with solar panels, computers and buses, while scholarships and reading clubs have also been provided at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun.
The company has also backed carbon capture initiatives aimed at transforming mangrove ecosystems into carbon sinks, with the potential to generate significant revenue for local communities.
Technology-Driven Security Operations
Tantita is also strengthening its oil asset surveillance operations through technology.
The company recently entered into an agreement with US-based Textron Systems for the delivery of three Aerosonde Mk. 4.7 vertical take-off and landing uncrewed aircraft systems.
The aircraft, according to the report, are expected to improve surveillance and security operations around Nigeria’s critical oil and gas infrastructure.
The contract also provides options for training and additional aircraft as the company’s surveillance capabilities expand.
Data cited from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project indicated that violent events in Nigeria’s South-South geopolitical zone declined by 20.9 per cent between 2023 and 2025, while fatalities linked to such incidents fell by 8.3 per cent during the same period.
Stakeholders Commend Tantita
Stakeholders have also praised Tantita’s role in securing Nigeria’s oil infrastructure.
Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Dekor Dumnamene Robinson, commended the company’s contributions to national security.
Similarly, lawmakers serving on a Joint Committee of the House of Representatives on Host Communities and Public Petitions, alongside other stakeholders, praised Tantita’s performance in protecting critical oil infrastructure.
They cited increased crude oil production, reduced pipeline vandalism and improved peace in oil-producing communities among the company’s reported achievements.
The committee subsequently passed a unanimous vote of confidence in Tantita and urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to consider a long-term renewal of the company’s surveillance contract.
The National Chairman of Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas, HOSTCOM, His Highness Benjamin Style Tamaranebi, also commended President Bola Tinubu for entrusting Tantita with an important role in protecting oil assets in the Niger Delta.
He argued that destroying oil infrastructure would have serious economic consequences for host communities and the country, stressing that communities in the region have endured environmental degradation, poverty and neglect for decades.
A Lagos-based social analyst, Jamiu Idris, also noted that the importance of improved security in the Niger Delta could be better understood against the backdrop of the severe decline in Nigeria’s oil production in previous years.
He recalled that before the implementation of the TSSNL framework in late 2022, Nigeria’s crude oil production had fallen to about 1.015 million barrels per day in September 2022, putting significant pressure on government revenue and the wider economy.
Tantita’s expanding community development programmes therefore represent an approach that combines oil asset protection with efforts to tackle some of the social and economic challenges confronting communities in the Niger Delta.
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