By Our Correspondent
National News – Nigeria’s National Assembly has expressed strong support for the pipeline surveillance contract handled by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, citing improved oil production and enhanced security of critical oil infrastructure.
Lawmakers gave the endorsement on Wednesday during a one-day parliamentary roundtable on pipeline security and crude oil theft held at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The joint committee on Petroleum Resources passed a vote of confidence in the surveillance arrangement after reviewing reports showing that Nigeria’s crude oil output increased from about 900,000 barrels per day in 2022 to roughly 1.8 million barrels per day by April 2026.
The committee also dismissed three petitions challenging the contract after the petitioners failed to appear before lawmakers to defend their allegations.
Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream), Henry Okojie, said the surveillance framework had significantly improved the protection of oil pipelines and helped curb large-scale crude theft.
According to him, the partnership between private surveillance operators, government security agencies, and host communities has strengthened monitoring and rapid response along oil corridors.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, noted that the global energy landscape has made it more important for Nigeria to safeguard its oil assets.
He explained that geopolitical tensions in regions such as the Middle East and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict have increased pressure on global energy supply chains, making crude oil security critical for Nigeria’s economy.
Tajudeen traced Nigeria’s long-standing pipeline security challenges to grievances in the Niger Delta, where environmental concerns, poverty, and agitation had previously contributed to vandalism, illegal refining, and oil theft.
At one point, he said, the country was losing between 10 and 30 percent of its crude production annually to theft, costing billions of dollars in revenue.
The Federal Government introduced the community-based pipeline surveillance contract in 2022 to address these problems.
Under the model, local youths and private security operators help monitor pipelines, report sabotage, and dismantle illegal tapping points.
Lawmakers acknowledged that while crude oil theft has reduced significantly, transparency and accountability in pipeline protection efforts must continue to improve.
They pledged stronger legislative oversight and enforcement of provisions in the Petroleum Industry Act to sustain production growth and protect Nigeria’s energy sector.
