Keston Pondi’s claims on Nigeria’s oil surveillance contracts raise serious questions — Says Chief Mathias Efe Olowu

The testimony of Mr Keston Pondi, managing director of Tantita Security Services Limited, before Nigeria’s National Assembly has sparked controversy over the firm’s pipeline surveillance contracts.

Mr Pondi claimed that Nigeria’s oil production was below one million barrels per day before Tantita received its contract.

This is inaccurate. Official data from OPEC and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) show production averaged around 1.6 million barrels per day in early 2022, prior to the award.

Production then fell to about 1.3 million barrels per day shortly after, stagnating between 1.3 and 1.4 million for much of the following three years, despite billions of naira paid to Tantita.

Recent weeks have seen output rise to 1.8 million barrels per day, with gains reportedly concentrated in Tantita’s operational areas in the Niger Delta. Campaigner Fejiro Oliver and others have highlighted this trend, questioning how oil theft persisted under the firm’s watch.

This discrepancy demands scrutiny. How did theft thrive in Tantita’s corridor since 2022? The federal government should commission an independent investigation.

The National Assembly probe echoes past controversies, such as the 2012 Farouk Lawan-Femi Otedola bribery scandal, which eroded public trust.

Niger Delta communities have long voiced concerns over the centralisation of surveillance in one firm. Tantita’s contract should be reviewed, with operations decentralised to include host communities across ethnic groups. No single company should monopolise this vital national asset.

Nigeria cannot afford to reward underperformance. As the saying goes: “Guard your pipeline, and let me guard mine”, without tearing anyone’s trousers or skirts.

Chief Mathias Efe Olowu is National Chairman of Odavwe R’Urhobob and a fellow of the International Institute of Journalism.