Urhobo indigenes in Delta State have been cautioned to desist from protesting against the pipeline protection contract being executed by Tantita Security Services Limited and its chairman, Ijaw leader Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.
The warning was issued by Chief Larry Adanike, a community leader in the oil-producing Ogulagha Kingdom of Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, in a statement on Sunday.
Adanike noted that the same pipeline surveillance contract was previously handled for eight years by the late Capt. Hosa Okunbo, an Edo State indigene, across Urhobo territories without protest. He accused the Urhobos of opposing Tantita simply because the company is owned by an Ijaw man.
According to Adanike, even during periods of rampant pipeline vandalism and the resulting environmental degradation in host communities, there were no protests from Urhobo groups.
He described the ongoing protests as “sponsored,” and pointed out that before Tantita’s engagement, Nigeria’s daily oil production had declined to 650,000 barrels per day due to widespread pipeline breaches and oil theft.
Adanike warned that ethnic-driven opposition to Tantita’s operations is detrimental to the long-standing inter-ethnic harmony in Delta State. He expressed concern that platforms belonging to some ethnic groups are instigating protests against the firm solely because of its Ijaw ownership.
He further argued that following Capt. Hosa’s death, the current Olu of Warri now oversees pipeline surveillance contracts covering territories in Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states—areas predominantly inhabited by Ijaws—without resistance.
“Today people are sponsoring Itsekiris to protest against the Ijaw man’s company, asking for the withdrawal of Tantita security job which Tantita is executing very very competently—such that we no longer have pipeline vandalisation and oil theft and our oil production has improved tremendously up to at least 1.8 million barrels per day.
“They are seeking to deny Tantita access to Itsekiri communities. Now the Urhobo are saying the same thing. Greed and envy seem to forget reason. This will not help the cause of unity amongst the tribes in Delta State,” Adanike stated.
He listed major pipeline contracts handled by Urhobo and other non-Ijaw contractors in Ijaw communities over the years, including Chief Ubiebi in Forcados and Escravos, and companies like Eruben Ltd., SJ Jones, SAMOT Ltd., and Temile & Sons.
Adanike emphasised that no Ijaw community had ever protested or disrupted the operations of Urhobo or Isoko contractors, even when these firms dominated engineering and security contracts in Ijaw territories.
The statement continued: “When the security surveillance jobs were awarded by NAPIMS through settlors like SPDC decades ago, it was frontline Urhobo contractors like Chief Ubiebi from Ughelli axis that handled all major security and maintenance contracts for decades in Ijaw areas of Forcados (Ogulagha) and Escravos (Gbaramatu), Tunu, Beniseide (Ojobo), Egbema-Angalabiri (Bayelsa), etc.
“Some other Urhobo and Isoko contractors who held sway then in major engineering and EPIC construction contracts were Eruben Ltd., SJ Jones, SAMOT Ltd, Temile & Sons (Itsekiri).
“Till today, NAPIMS’ major maintenance and EPIC contracts are being executed in Ijaw areas by well-known Urhobo and Isoko contractors: Macharry Ltd., De-Wayles, Chief Bernard Edewor, etc., pushing Ijaw contractors like High Chief Tunde Smooth out of his well-known marine equipment business.
“But no Ijaw community, either collectively or individually, has protested against, undermined, or frustrated these Urhobo or Isoko contractors or sought to expel them from Ijawland. Similarly, no Ijaw community is protesting and fighting the Olu of Warri’s company—Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited—from executing its surveillance and security contract, exactly like Tantita’s, in Ijaw areas.
“Rather, the Ijaw communities are assisting and cooperating with the Olu’s PINL to successfully execute its work.
“It is flowing from the above that I appeal to our Urhobo and Itsekiri brothers to be circumspect and think twice about this fight against Tantita. Because no one knows the aftermath. Your brothers and chiefs are operating contracts and eating in Ijaw areas for decades—10, 15, 20, 35 years and even today. Ijaws did not deprive them. But the only one that fate gave to an Ijaw man, you say he should not work in your area? How fair is that?
“The Chairman of Tantita is an Ijaw leader from both Gbaramatu and Ogulagha kingdoms, key oil-producing kingdoms with massive assets helping the economy of Delta State and Nigeria.
“So Ijaws should tell Macharry Ltd. and De-Wayles, owned by Urhobos, to pull out of Ijaw areas where they work today too, since you don’t want Tantita owned by an Ijaw man in your areas?
“We have managed our unity and togetherness better than this. Who knows if after years, an Urhobo man will be given this work that Tantita Services is doing today? Will Ijaws now say that such contractor(s) should not work in Ijaw areas too? This is a dangerous trend that the Urhobos are starting. It is better they have a rethink before it will force Ijaws to react with tit-for-tat.”
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