The Niger Delta region has experienced ongoing violence and sabotage, particularly affecting the oil and gas industry. Recently, there have been incidents involving attacks on oil pipelines and the murder of personnel from Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL). Such violent actions not only harm the region's economy but also jeopardize the livelihoods of its residents.
In an open letter addressed to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM), represented by its President, His Highness (Dr) Benjamin Style Tamaranebi (JP), condemned these violent acts, labeling them as self-destructive behavior.
The organization has called upon the youth in the region to reject this ongoing cycle of violence and devastation.
Despite the Niger Delta's wealth in oil and gas resources, the distribution of these benefits has been inequitable. The enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) marked a crucial advancement in addressing this disparity, as it guarantees that host communities receive direct benefits from the resources extracted from their territories.
However, the PIA also stipulates that any community involved in sabotage will lose these benefits. Consequently, those perpetrating these attacks are effectively depriving their own families and communities of the progress they have strived to achieve.
The assaults on oil infrastructure not only harm the economy but also lead to significant environmental damage. Oil spills contaminate rivers, devastate aquatic ecosystems, and render the land unproductive. The youth involved in these attacks must consider who truly gains from this destruction.
The only beneficiaries in this situation are oil thieves, corrupt politicians, and foreign oil magnates who prefer to see the region remain unstable and underdeveloped. The challenges faced in Rivers State are fundamentally political, and political issues necessitate political solutions. Resorting to pipeline destruction and violence against security personnel will not resolve these underlying conflicts.
Tantita Security Services and other security organizations play a vital role in protecting Nigeria's oil assets. Their involvement has significantly reduced oil theft, enhanced production levels, and contributed to the stabilization of the national economy. It is essential for the youth in the region to understand the importance of safeguarding these facilities and the personnel dedicated to their security.
The HOSTCOM has expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his initiatives aimed at reforming the oil and gas sector. The organization has also acknowledged the President's commitment to ensuring adherence to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which has resulted in a notable increase in oil production and revenue for the region.
Nevertheless, HOSTCOM has called on the Federal Government to tackle the underlying issues contributing to youth unrest in the area. This includes creating job opportunities, enhancing infrastructure, and ensuring that the benefits derived from oil and gas resources are fairly distributed.
The Niger Delta region has endured challenges for far too long, and it is imperative for the youth to reject violence and destruction. HOSTCOM has urged traditional leaders, community heads, and responsible citizens to denounce violence and report any individuals attempting to incite chaos within their communities.
The government must act decisively to dismantle these criminal elements and their backers. The Niger Delta should not be exploited as a battleground for political conflicts that do not align with the interests of its residents.
In summary, HOSTCOM has called upon the youth in the Niger Delta to renounce violence and protect oil facilities. The organization has praised President Tinubu for his transformative efforts in the oil and gas sector and has urged the Federal Government to address the fundamental causes of youth unrest in the region.
The Niger Delta region possesses significant potential for economic growth and development; however, this can only be realized if the youth reject violence and destruction. The HOSTCOM has called upon the youth to prioritize peace, progress, and opportunities instead of strife, conflict, and discord.
As the Niger Delta region commemorates President Tinubu’s 73rd birthday, the HOSTCOM has offered prayers for his continued good health, enabling him to implement his policies and initiatives as outlined in the RENEWED HOPE AGENDA.
In conclusion, the Niger Delta region must transcend the manipulations of self-serving politicians and criminals. The youth are urged to oppose violence and destruction and to actively contribute to creating a brighter future for themselves and their communities.
Here Is The Full Open Letter By HOSTCOM To The President:
OPEN LETTER TO:
(1) ASIWAJU BOLA AMHED TINUBU, GCFR PRESIDENT & COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
(2) YOUTHS OF THE NIGER DELTA
A CALL FOR RESTRAINT: KILLING OF PERSONNELS OF TANTITA SECURITY SERVICES NIGERIA LIMITED (TSSNL) AND BOMBING OF OIL FACILITIES IN THE NIGER DELTA – PROTECTING OUR FUTURE
That foresightedness and courageous actions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, especially in the oil and gas sector in the last nearly two years, have transformed the landscape and allowed Nigeria to improve its oil production quota significantly and reduce rampant oil theft, is no longer news.
It’s also obvious that engagement of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) and other none state actors in the task of policing and securing the nation’s economic assets has yielded tremendous positive outcomes.
It’s in this regard that we commend Mr. President for the confidence he has reposed in Tantita as a critical part of the security architecture for maintaining oil assets in the Niger Delta.
However, we are not unaware that some disgruntled people are unhappy with our successes and the relief that Mr President’s courageous steps have brought to the country, and especially to local communities in the Niger Delta.
The recent bombings of oil pipelines and cold-blooded murder of TSSNL personnel in the Niger Delta are reckless acts that threaten not only the stability of our region but also the future of our communities.
They are not acts of heroism but acts of self-destruction.
Those who engage in these crimes are not freedom fighters, they are tools in the hands of selfish politicians and criminal syndicates, who care nothing for the Niger Delta or its people.
These actions, carried out under the guise of political grievances, are shortsighted. They do not serve the interests of the Niger Delta people—they only deepen our suffering.
Let us be clear: Destroying our oil assets is economic suicide. It’s a direct attack on the very lifeline of our communities.
Our host communities have endured environmental degradation, economic hardship, and neglect for decades.
The passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was a turning point, ensuring that our communities finally receive direct benefits from the resources extracted from our land. The PIA was a hard-earned victory that finally guaranteed the host communities a share of the wealth generated from our land.
Billions of naira have already flowed into community trusts, empowering local development initiatives. However, Section 257, Subsection 2 of the PIA is clear: Any community that engages in sabotage forfeits these benefits. That means the very people committing these attacks are robbing their own families and their futures.
Attacking oil infrastructure weakens Nigeria’s economy and directly robs our communities of the progress we have fought to achieve.
Let us also be clear about who benefits from this destruction. Not the youths. Not the struggling leaders of the host communities. Not the hard-working people of the Niger Delta. The only winners are the oil thieves, the corrupt politicians and the foreign oil barons, who are eager to see our region remain unstable and underdeveloped.
The situation in Rivers State is political, and political issues require political solutions. Destroying pipelines and killing security personnel will not resolve these conflicts—it will only make our region more volatile and unlivable. Oil spills poison our rivers, destroy aquatic life, and render our land barren and our youths are left with nothing.
The youth engaging in these attacks must ask themselves: Who truly benefits from this destruction? Certainly not the host communities.
This madness must stop. Tantita Security Services and other security outfits are crucial in safeguarding Nigeria’s oil assets. Their presence has helped to curb oil theft, improve production levels, and stabilise our national economy.
TSSNL and other security personnel are not our enemies but our brothers and sisters working to protect our collective future. It is indefensible to do anything to bring them to harm. They have put their lives on the line to protect our oil wealth from criminal gangs. Killing them is not act of resistance, it’s cowardly and an unforgivable betrayal of our people and our future.
The crisis in River State is political. Politicians will eventually settle their differences- but will they bring back the lives lost? Will they restore our environment? Will they restore the benefits stolen from our communities? No, they will move on, leaving our youths stranded to suffer the consequences.
We must not be fools. We must not allow ourselves to be used. Every youth in the Niger Delta must reject this cycle of violence and destruction. Protecting our oil facilities is not about helping the government- it’s about securing our future.
We aligned with the the position canvassed by a human right activist, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, after the unjustiable killing of some personnel of Tantita, when he said, “The engagement of TANTITA is critical in combating the scourge of oil smuggling and bunkering. As a local company, they possess intimate knowledge of the terrain in the Niger Delta and are acutely aware of the hiding places and tactics employed by these criminals.”
We in HOSTCOM believed that this unique understanding of the Niger Delta terrain by Tantita and its personnel is vital for effective onslaught against oil theft, and it’s imperative that our security agencies and other critical stakeholders in our region recognise the selfless contributions of Tantita and its main promoter, our own indefatigable Niger Delta crusader for better life for our people and champion of equitable and fair distribution of the nation’s resources, High Chief, Dr. Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, the Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation and support them.
We in HOSTCOM also know and believed it to be true that President Tinubu’s administration has taken drastic steps to enforce the PIA, which has ultimately increased oil production and revenue for our region. Reckless acts of violence must not destroy the progress.
It would be recalled that for decades, governors in the region have collected 13 percent of derivation from the federal government and yet have done nothing to develop local communities, despite receiving this fund that runs in billions of naira.
We thank President Tinubu GCFR; the Hon. Minister of State for Petroleum, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engineer Mele Kyari and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe FNSE CFR, for ensuring effective compliance with PIA, a development which has led to major spike in our daily production of crude oil from abysmal 600,000bpd to about 1.8mbpd with the good work of TSSNL and other state and non-state actors.
We urge traditional rulers, community leaders, and responsible citizens to reject violence and report any individuals attempting to incite destruction in our communities.
The Niger Delta must not be used as a battleground for political struggles that do not serve the interests of its people.
The government must swiftly crush these criminals and their sponsors, if our persuasive appeals are ignored, before they do irreversible damage.
Enough is enough. The Niger Delta has suffered for too long. We cannot build a future on sabotage and destruction. Let us rise above the schemes of greedy politicians and criminals. Let’s protect what is ours. Let us choose peace, progress and prospects.
We should choose stability over strife, collaboration over conflict and dialogue over discord.
We also call on the Federal Government to also address other root causes of youth restiveness in the region in order to strengthen the prevailing peace in the oil-rich belt.
We seize this opportunity to congratulate and wish Mr. President well on his 73rd birthday, on Saturday, March 29th, 2025.
We pray that God sustains you in robust health to enable you to carry out your policies and programmes as enshrined in the RENEWED HOPE AGENDA.
GOD BLESS THE NIGER DELTA REGION
GOD BLESS THE SOUTH-SOUTH GEOPOLITICAL ZONE
GOD BLESS ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR
GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.
SIGNED:
HIS HIGHNESS (DR.) BENJAMIN STYLE TAMARANEBI (JP)
PRESIDENT, HOST COMMINITIES OF NIGERIA PRODUCING OIL AND GAS (HOSTCOM)
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