Members of the House of Representatives Committees on Host Communities and Public Petitions, alongside leaders of Niger Delta host communities, have called on the Federal Government to confer national honours on Government Ekpemupolo and the leadership of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited over their role in protecting oil and gas infrastructure.

The call was part of resolutions adopted at the end of a one-day retreat held at Protea Hotel, Owerri, involving lawmakers and trustees, and leaders of host communities in the Niger Delta.

The participants commended Tantita‘s leadership for its role in safeguarding petroleum assets, stating that the company’s operations had contributed to improvements in Nigeria’s crude oil production and the protection of critical infrastructure.

According to the resolutions, the Federal Government should “confer high national honours on the leadership of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited in recognition of their outstanding contributions to national security and the protection of critical petroleum infrastructure.”

The retreat also called for an end to what participants described as attacks on Tompolo and members of his team. The gathering warned that continued criticism and inflammatory commentary could affect stability in the Niger Delta and undermine gains recorded in oil asset protection.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. S. C. Dike, a professor of Energy and Comparative Environmental Law, said Nigeria’s crude oil production had increased from below 1.2 million barrels per day to more than 1.7 million barrels per day following intensified surveillance and anti-oil theft operations.

According to him, thousands of illegal pipeline connection points and crude oil bunkering routes had been uncovered and dismantled, while substantial revenues previously lost to oil theft had been recovered for the Federal Government.

Dike also stated that the operations had generated employment opportunities for thousands of young people in the Niger Delta and helped restore stability in several oil-producing communities.

Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Dekor Dumnamene Robinson, said the recognition being sought for Tompolo and Tantita was deserved.

According to him, “Tompolo and his team have served this country at great personal risk. They have kept the economic lifeline of the nation running and restored peace to communities that had not experienced peace in decades.”

The retreat also passed a vote of confidence in Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to grant the company a long-term extension of its contract.

The resolutions are expected to be forwarded to the Office of the President, the National Honours Award Committee and other relevant government agencies for consideration.