Pipeline Surveillance: Preye Tambou warns against ethnic politics, defends Tantita Contract

By Joy Enamuna 

A Niger Delta activist, Comrade Preye Tambou, has urged ethnic champions and pressure groups in Delta State to reconsider their opposition to the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.

He warned that ethnic agitation over the deal could undermine national security and reverse ongoing gains in the oil and gas sector.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Warri, Tambou highlighted the impact of Tantita’s engagement, noting that Nigeria’s crude oil production has improved significantly from the record lows experienced before the company assumed pipeline surveillance duties.

He dismissed calls for the contract’s cancellation or redistribution along ethnic lines as misguided, insisting that the award was based on merit and operational competence rather than ethnic considerations.

“Pipeline surveillance is a federal security contract, not 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.

He argued that calls for the contract to be cancelled or reallocated on ethnic grounds are neither principled nor constructive, describing them as political tools capable of undermining national stability.