Nigeria’s vision of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030 requires a stable and prosperous economy that is driven by peace and stability. The pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL) by the Federal Government to protect oil assets in the Niger Delta has proven to be central in achieving the target even as it has aided the region’s ecological recovery, ONYEDIKA AGBEDO Reports.

THE Policy Advisory Council report on the national economy had set an ambitious goal of achieving a Gross Domestic Product (PDP) of $1 trillion, with clearly defined priority areas and strategies, which include maximising opportunities available to Nigeria in the oil sector that contributes over 75 per cent of its FX earnings.

Effectively harnessing the oil revenue requires that the Niger Delta, a region severally described as the goose that lays the golden eggs, must also be at peace and oil infrastructure across the region well secured. That is where the Federal Government’s appointment of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL) to protect oil assets and ensure peace and stability in the Niger Delta comes to play. That singular act will contribute positively to Nigeria’s vision of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

By the appointment, TSSNL, led by High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, is mandated to protect Nigeria’s oil assets in the Niger Delta region through its security operations and support the national economy in getting the full benefits of oil resources.

The firm works in collaboration with other security outfits to achieve its mandate of securing oil assets and ensuring peace and stability in the Niger Delta region. And its operations has so far ensured the security of oil pipelines, paving the way for uninterrupted flow of petroleum resources and ensuring that Nigeria migrated from a position of constant loss management to stability, planning, growth and development.

The TSSNL operations have transformed the oil and gas landscape and allowed Nigeria to expand oil production quota and significantly cut rampant oil theft. Its track record in mitigating risks associated with oil pipelines has positioned it as a reliable partner in preserving Nigeria’s economic backbone.

The impact of its operations was captured in a recent survey, with the majority of the respondents attributing the de-escalation of security incidents in the Niger-Delta region to pipeline surveillance operations by the firm.

According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED), violent events declined by 20.9 per cent in the South-South geopolitical region between 2023 and 2025. The rate of fatalities arising from such violent events in the oil rich region declined by 8.3 per cent within the same period. Although the rate of similar conflicts declined by a higher margin of 26.9 per cent in the South-East region, the rate of fatalities resulting from such events increased within the region by 8.3 per cent.

The violent events tracked by ACLED within the period under review include violence against civilians, battles between the authorities and armed groups, protests, strategic developments, riots and explosions/remote violence.

The South-West recorded a decline of 14.1 per cent in the total number of incidents between 2023 and 2025. However, the fatality rate increased by 12.21 per cent.

The reports further showed that North-West incidents increased by 127.9 per cent between 2023 and 2025 and in the process, recorded an increase of 99.1 per cent in fatality rate.

What Statistics Say
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s statistical body, had released the rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figure for the first time in more than a decade. It puts Nigeria’s GDP at N372.8 trillion in 2024, after the base year for calculating the figure was shifted to 2019. Investment drive, attractiveness to global financial markets and facilitating Nigeria’s quest for a $1 trillion economy by 2030 are flashpoints for the rebased economy.

Nigeria’s Statistician-General, Adeyemi Adeniran, explained how the economy had fared in the rebased GDP report. He said: “In nominal terms, the rebased GDP for 2019 stood at N205.09tr; N213.63tr in 2020; N243.30tr in 2021; N274.23tr in 2022; N314.02tr in 2023, and N372.82tr in 2024.”

Adeniran revealed that incorporated new and emerging sectors, consumption baskets update and data collection refining methods helped produce a more complete picture of national output.

Stakeholders Speak
Speaking during the recent CERA Week conference hosted by S&P Global in Houston, Executive Vice President of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Udy Ntia, said that Nigeria has transformed into an investor’s haven.

“With the Petroleum Industry Act and robust regulatory reforms, we have already attracted $17 billion in new investments,” he revealed.

In a published report, President General, Niger Delta Progressive Alliance, Nse Victor Udoh, said pipeline protection has enabled national institutions to progress from reactive crisis management to strategic foresight, from temporary containment to durable systems-building, and from uncertainty-driven decisions to calculated national ambition.

“It is important to clarify the role of pipeline surveillance within the wider energy landscape. Energy security encompasses the full value chain, from exploration and production to refining, distribution, pricing policy, and subsidy frameworks. Pipeline surveillance does not manage these domains.

“Its mandate is precise: safeguarding critical infrastructure that transports petroleum resources. Yet this single function has proven foundational. Without secure transportation channels, production targets falter, refining plans collapse, exports decline and fiscal projections become unreliable.

“Asset protection, in this context, is not a supporting activity. It is a precondition for economic order. In effect, the pipeline is the hinge on which the entire petroleum value chain turns. When that hinge is weak, every other link in the chain carries strain. When it is secure, the entire system gains coherence,” he said.

The immediate impact has been operational. Sustained monitoring and rapid response systems have sharply reduced pipeline breaches and illegal tapping. Receipt rates have climbed towards full recovery, with national output rising to levels not seen in recent memory.

This redirection has restored Nigeria’s credibility in international oil markets, allowing it to reclaim market share lost to Angola and Libya.

“Economic stability follows predictability. When crude flows are secure, refineries can plan feedstock intake with assurance. Export commitments can be met without fear of sudden shortfalls. Gas-to-power projects can operate without recurrent shutdown risks.

“Investors can assess Nigeria’s petroleum sector with clearer risk profiles. Surveillance therefore does more than stop theft. It reintroduces reliability into national energy planning. And reliability is the bedrock upon which sustainable economic growth is built. With predictable flows, national budgeting becomes more credible, infrastructure planning becomes more precise, and long-term contracts become easier to negotiate. Predictability is the silent currency of modern economies and pipeline surveillance has begun restoring it,” Udoh added.

Further benefits extend into public finance. Higher accounted-for production translates directly into increased export revenues, improved foreign exchange inflows, and strengthened fiscal capacity. National oil company performance in recent years illustrates this shift towards profitability and efficiency, driven in part by reduced losses and enhanced operational continuity.

As revenues stabilise, government budgeting gains credibility. Development planning becomes less speculative. The national economy gains breathing space to invest in infrastructure, social services and diversification. This breathing space matters. It allows policy makers to think beyond survival and begin shaping structural reforms, industrial expansion and long-term social investment. It also reduces dependence on emergency borrowing and short-term fiscal patchwork.

Against this backdrop, traditional rulers and community leaders in the Niger Delta have called for continued support for TSSNL following a vote of confidence passed on the firm by the National Assembly recently.

The leaders said the company’s involvement in securing oil and gas pipelines has led to visible improvements in oil-producing communities, particularly in reducing crime and creating jobs for youths.

President-General of the Isoko Development Union, Christopher Akpotu, had praised the joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives for dismissing petitions filed against the firm.

He described the decision as a positive step for the Niger Delta and urged stakeholders to focus on economic gains rather than internal disagreements.

“That is the right way to go,” he said. “There are many opportunities in the oil and gas sector. We should focus on how to derive more benefits rather than fighting over what has already been allocated.”

Akpotu warned that continued disputes among communities could allow outsiders to take over opportunities meant for host communities. “At the end of the day, if we continue fighting, we give room to those who have no stake in our communities to take what rightfully belongs to us,” he added.

While acknowledging concerns over unequal distribution of benefits, he said the surveillance contract has made a clear difference in the lives of many young people.

“The truth is that many communities and youths have benefited from the surveillance contract. It may not be evenly distributed, but the impact is evident,” he said.

He urged the company to involve more stakeholders, including traditional rulers, youths and community leaders to ensure fairness and long-term success.

Similarly, the President-General of the Ughelli Descendants Union, Sam Akpemegi, said the company has improved security since it began operations, noting that both visible and intelligence-based strategies have been deployed.

“They have done very well and improved security since they began operations,” he said, adding that the firm’s activities now cover a large number of communities.

Akpemegi said the company’s presence has brought benefits to both traditional institutions and residents, and called for continued backing.

In the same vein, the Odiologbo of Ofagbe Kingdom, Ogaga Ikpoku, supported the decision of the National Assembly, describing it as timely and beneficial to peace and stability in the region.

Overall, asset protection has also produced environmental and social dividends, particularly in the Niger Delta. Illegal refining and pipeline sabotage once left waterways polluted, farmlands infertile, and communities trapped in cycles of hazard and insecurity. With sustained surveillance operations dismantling illegal sites and preventing repeated breaches, ecological recovery has begun.