Tinubu faces fierce warning over move to cancel Tompolo’s surveillance contract

A fresh storm is brewing around Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta as powerful voices warn President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against scrapping the controversial pipeline surveillance contract linked to former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo. The warning comes amid fears that tampering with the arrangement credited by some stakeholders with reducing crude oil theft and stabilizing production could reignite tensions in a region historically volatile over resource control and economic marginalization. As whispers of a possible contract review circulate in Abuja, community leaders and industry watchers are cautioning that any abrupt cancellation could trigger political backlash and threaten the fragile calm currently holding in the Niger Delta.

The Creek to Creek Movement, an influential Niger Delta civil society organisation focused on environmental protection and due process in the oil and gas sector, issued a strongly worded statement on Saturday urging the president to “sustain this contract” and ignore what it described as “charlatans… unduly obsessed with sabotaging the oil and gas sector for personal gains.”

The group’s intervention comes amid reports that some political actors within Abuja have been lobbying for the cancellation of the surveillance deal, which was awarded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in September 2022. The contract, worth roughly ₦4 billion per month, covers pipeline corridors in Delta, Ondo, Imo, Rivers and parts of Bayelsa.

In its statement signed by conveners Jefe Abido, Ajibade Smith and Chima Samuel Obririnank, the Creek to Creek Movement warned that ending the contract would plunge the oil producing region “into another episode of illegal oil bunkering, violence and bloodshed.” According to the group, “enemies of the current administration… are scheming to plunge the oil rich region into another episode of illegal oil bunkering, violence and bloodshed to advance their selfish agenda.” They argued that critics of the contract were motivated by “envy, jealousy and plain hatred for the peace and security in the creeks which has resulted to seamless oil exploration and refining.”

The Tinubu administration has been reviewing major security and oil sector contracts as part of its broader reform agenda. But the Tompolo contract is uniquely sensitive. Since its award in 2022, Tantita Security Services has been credited with helping reduce large scale crude theft and pipeline vandalism; a claim supported by NNPCL and several security agencies. The Creek to Creek Movement insisted that the contract has restored investor confidence, noting that “with the high inflow of foreign investments into the Niger Delta, it is clear that Tantita Security Services has restored investor confidence with many jobs created and local content enhanced.” They warned that cancelling the deal would embolden oil theft syndicates and undermine the fragile stability currently holding in the creeks.

President Tinubu has repeatedly emphasized security, investment, and energy-sector reform as pillars of his administration. His government has also highlighted the importance of maintaining stability in the Niger Delta, where oil theft has historically cost Nigeria billions in lost revenue. The Creek to Creek Movement reminded the president that although the Tantita contract was inherited from the previous administration, “its continuity will help to sustain the peace and calm currently recorded in the Niger Delta region.” Analysts say the decision will test Tinubu’s ability to balance political pressures, regional sensitivities, and the economic imperative of protecting Nigeria’s most valuable infrastructure.

Saturday’s warning adds to a growing chorus of Niger Delta voices urging the president not to tamper with the arrangement. Traditional rulers, youth groups, and community leaders have privately expressed concern that cancelling the contract could reopen old wounds and reignite militant activity.

For now, the presidency has not commented publicly on the matter. But with tensions rising and stakeholders mobilizing, the fate of the Tompolo linked contract has quickly become one of the most politically charged decisions facing the Tinubu administration.