ABUJA/Nigeria: Nigeria’s improving crude oil production has been largely driven by enhanced security coordination and active collaboration with host communities, Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Chief Kestin Pondi, has told lawmakers and industry stakeholders.
Pondi made this known on Tuesday while addressing participants at the Joint Petroleum Parliamentary Roundtable held at the National Assembly, where he highlighted the role of inclusive security architecture in reversing the nation’s declining oil output.
He commended the Senate Joint Committees for convening the roundtable, describing it as a critical platform for addressing the persistent challenges confronting Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Recounting the situation prior to Tantita’s engagement in 2022, Pondi said the country’s crude oil production had dropped significantly to about 1.1 million barrels per day, including condensates, but has since rebounded to approximately 1.4 million barrels per day.
“We were given this responsibility at a very critical time, and we remain grateful to Mr. President for the opportunity. Without this platform, our capacity and what we can achieve would not have been fully appreciated,” he said.
The Tantita boss attributed the recovery to deliberate strategies anchored on community participation and local knowledge of the terrain.
“At Tantita, we do not protect assets from the people; we protect the assets with the people. Bringing in those from the creeks, who understand the terrain, has given us better results,” he stated.
He noted that Nigeria’s oil production had steadily declined from about 1.8 million barrels per day in 2020 to 1.6 million in 2021, before reaching its lowest point in 2022, adding that the current rebound underscores the effectiveness of the adopted approach.
Pondi, however, acknowledged that the progress has come at a cost, revealing that personnel of Tantita, alongside members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies, have lost their lives while protecting critical oil infrastructure.
“We have worked closely with the Nigerian Army, Navy, Civil Defence Corps, Police, and other agencies. It has not been an easy journey. We have lost soldiers, we have lost our personnel, and we have lost civil defence officers,” he said.
Despite the gains, he maintained that Nigeria still has the capacity to increase production further if more investments are made and existing operational gaps are addressed.
“We can still do better. There are still barriers, and we need to invest more to fully achieve the President’s agenda of increased production,” he added.
Pondi further disclosed that Tantita has invested significantly in technology and human capital development, while decentralising its operations to ensure broader community involvement and ownership.
He warned against attempts to fragment the current security framework, cautioning that disjointed approaches could undermine the progress recorded.
“There is no way we could have succeeded without involving every community that is a stakeholder in this operation. Fragmentation of the process will only push us backwards, and that is something we must avoid,” he stressed.
He subsequently invited the company’s Executive Director, Technical and Operations, Captain Israel, to provide detailed technical insights into Tantita’s field operations, challenges, and strategies for sustaining current gains.
The roundtable attracted lawmakers, industry players, and security stakeholders, who deliberated on measures to boost oil production and strengthen the protection of critical national assets.
