The Niger Delta Peace Front has warned young people in the area, especially ex-military personnel, to stay away from being used as tools by saboteurs to harm Nigeria’s economy.
The NPDF warned the ex-militants who have flooded the media with criticism of the extension of the pipeline protection contract to be aware of dishonest people who don’t have the country’s best interests at heart.
The warning was issued in a statement on Sunday by Patterson Efemena, the NPDF chairman, and Onyem Philip, the NPDF secretary.
They questioned why individuals who gained the most from Tantita in the initial stages of the deal would be the ones to support subversion against the company.
The organisation urged the ex-militants who had spent a lot of money trying to damage Tantita and the NNPC in the media to quit wasting their time on what the President had already decided was a good idea.
They insisted that these resources could be used for projects that would benefit society.
The NDPF emphasised that contracts are not won through threats but rather by a track record of successfully carrying out the procedure outlined in the contract terms.
The NPDF advised those who felt wronged by the decision to extend the contract to demonstrate their patriotism by supporting TSL, which employed around 18,000 young people from the area to carry out the first part of the oil pipeline contract effectively.
The group noted that the contract, which has caused unnecessary controversy, was carried out by locals for more than 12 years without any opposition from outside the area.
The NPDF highlighted that a hard-fighting gang of silent billionaires who view Tantita and the NNPCL as enemies due to the documented accomplishments against oil theft are behind the orchestrated media campaign that is directed at the heart of the Nigerian economy.
The statement pleaded with the perpetrators of the attacks to put an end to the extortion “and embrace the prevailing mood of the nation that clearly says enough to oil theft.”
President Bola Tinubu and the NNPCL, led by Mr. Mele Kyari, were commended by Efemena and Onyem for their conscious choice to build on the successes of Tantita’s anti-oil theft programme.
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The sentence is written. We have seen that Tantita Security Services Limited has been the target of sponsored mudslinging and other subliminal threats against the Federal Government and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited in relation to the extension of the oil pipeline contract Tantita Security Services Limited was given.
As Niger Delta stakeholders, we resisted the impulse to get involved in the conflict in the days before Tantita Security Limited’s crucial contract was renewed.
We took this action because we firmly believe that subversive activities funded by people who received monthly payments from Tantita will not advance Nigeria’s interests.
We have made a covert effort to persuade people who have donated significant sums of money to sponsor the most defamatory publications—not just against Tantita but also the NNPCL and senior government officials—to stop and support the national sentiment that says enough to oil theft.
“We believe it is past time we put an end to these threats and slurs in order to take actions that are advantageous to the finances of our beloved nation and the poorly maintained ecosystem of our motherland.
“Oil theft must be referred to by its correct name: a plague on our nation’s financial stability. If we put half of the effort we have wasted on this issue towards the goal of fighting oil theft under Tantita, we will undoubtedly perform better.
“Perhaps it is important to emphasise that contracts are not secured by disparaging the decision-makers and job candidates in the press.
The process outlined for contract award requires demonstrable capacity and track record, as many have correctly recognised.
“Last but not least, we would like to remind anyone treading this path of infamy that the same contract was carried out for more than 12 years at greater expense by some people with no opposition from anyone. This uproar over the extended contract strikes us as odd and suspicious.
“As Niger Delta residents, we should work with Tantita to wage an effective fight against our nation and our environment instead of endorsing the economic saboteurs over a bowl of porridge.
Knowing when to pull back is a sign of wisdom, and now is the moment to end the pointless campaign.
“We commend Mr. President and the NNPC for the deliberate decision to strengthen the war against oil theft.”
