Achieving the Federal Government’s vision of growing Nigeria into a $1tn economy by 2030 will not be a walk in the park. It requires a stable and prosperous economy driven by peace and security. The peace and stability of the Niger Delta, coupled with the protection of critical national assets—particularly oil infrastructure through the operations of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL)—will be central to generating the revenue required to attain the $1tn economy target.
Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a $1tn economy by 2030 is expected to receive significant support from the oil sector. The Policy Advisory Council report on the national economy set the ambitious target, outlining priority areas and strategies to achieve a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $1tn.
Securing the oil sector’s contribution to this milestone requires more than policy pronouncements. It demands increased investment, improved attractiveness to global financial markets and stronger revenue generation from the oil sector, which accounts for more than 75 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings.
Effectively harnessing oil revenue also requires a peaceful Niger Delta—a region often described as the goose that lays the golden egg—and well-secured oil infrastructure across the region.
This 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 becomes significant. That singular decision is expected to contribute positively to Nigeria’s quest to build a $1tn economy by 2030.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd, led by High Chief Dr Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, to protect Nigeria’s oil assets in the Niger Delta.
The appointment was intended to enable TSSNL, through its surveillance operations, to support the national economy by ensuring Nigeria derives maximum benefit from its oil resources.
Working in collaboration with other security agencies, TSSNL has focused on securing oil assets while promoting peace and stability across the Niger Delta.
Its operations have ensured the security of oil pipelines, guaranteed the uninterrupted flow of petroleum resources and helped Nigeria move from constant loss management to greater stability, planning, growth and development.
TSSNL’s operations have also transformed the oil and gas landscape, enabling Nigeria to increase crude oil production and significantly reduce oil theft.
Its track record in mitigating risks associated with oil pipelines has positioned it as a reliable partner in protecting Nigeria’s economic backbone.
As stakeholders continue to advocate sustained collaboration with TSSNL, the importance of securing oil infrastructure remains central to efforts aimed at achieving sustainable national development.
In the development process of any society, certain assets contribute directly to economic advancement. Such assets generate economic and monetary benefits and may be classified as operating, non-operating or leased assets.
The impact of TSSNL’s operations was highlighted in a recent survey, with the majority of respondents attributing the decline in security incidents across the Niger Delta to the pipeline surveillance activities carried out by the company.
With TSSNL, South-South Peace Sustainable
According to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project, violent incidents declined by 20.9 per cent in the South-South geopolitical zone between 2023 and 2025, while fatalities resulting from such incidents fell by 8.3 per cent over the same period.
Although similar conflicts declined by a higher margin of 26.9 per cent in the South-East, fatalities arising from such incidents increased by 8.3 per cent.
The violent events tracked by ACLED include violence against civilians, battles between security forces and armed groups, protests, strategic developments, riots, and explosions or remote violence.
The South-West also recorded a 14.1 per cent decline in total incidents between 2023 and 2025. However, fatalities rose by 12.21 per cent. The situation was markedly different across the three geopolitical zones in Northern Nigeria.
Further analysis of the ACLED database showed that incidents in the North-West increased by 127.9 per cent between 2023 and 2025, while fatalities rose by 99.1 per cent.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently released Nigeria’s rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for the first time in more than a decade, placing the country’s GDP at N372.8tn in 2024 after changing the base year to 2019. The rebased figures underscore the importance of investment, improved attractiveness to global financial markets and Nigeria’s pursuit of a $1tn economy by 2030.
Nigeria’s Statistician-General, Adeyemi Adeniran, explained that, “In nominal terms, the rebased GDP for 2019 stood at N205.09tn; N213.63tn in 2020; N243.30tn in 2021; N274.23tn in 2022; N314.02tn in 2023, and N372.82tn in 2024.”
Adeniran said the incorporation of new and emerging sectors, updated consumption baskets and improved data collection methods produced a more comprehensive picture of national output.
Similarly, the Executive Vice President of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Udy Ntia, said during the CERAWeek conference hosted by S&P Global in Houston that, “Nigeria has transformed into an investor’s haven. With the Petroleum Industry Act and robust regulatory reforms, we have already attracted $17bn in new investments.”
In a published report, the President-General of the Niger Delta Progressive Alliance, Nse Victor Udoh, said pipeline protection has enabled national institutions to move 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,” he said.
He added: “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.”
Continuing, he wrote: “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 noted that sustained monitoring and rapid response systems have sharply reduced pipeline breaches and illegal tapping. Receipt rates have climbed toward 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 Nigeria 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.”
Further benefits extend to public finance. Higher accounted-for production translates directly into increased export revenue, improved foreign exchange inflows and stronger fiscal capacity. National oil company performance in recent years illustrates this shift toward profitability and efficiency, driven partly by reduced losses and improved operational continuity.
As revenues stabilise, government budgeting gains credibility and development planning becomes less speculative. The national economy gains breathing space to invest in infrastructure, social services and diversification. This allows policymakers to think beyond survival and focus on structural reforms, industrial expansion and long-term social investment. It also reduces dependence on emergency borrowing and short-term fiscal measures.
Traditional rulers and community leaders in the Niger Delta have called for continued support for Tantita Security Services Ltd following a vote of confidence passed on the company by the National Assembly.
The leaders said the company’s involvement in securing oil and gas pipelines has led to visible improvements in oil-producing communities, particularly through reduced crime and increased employment opportunities for youths.
Speaking on the development, the President-General of the Isoko Development Union, Christopher Akpotu, praised the joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives for dismissing petitions filed against the company.
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. 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.”
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 also 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 significantly improved security since it began operations through both visible and intelligence-driven strategies.
“They have done very well and improved security since they began operations,” he said, adding that the company’s activities now cover many communities.
Akpemegi said TSSNL’s presence has benefited both traditional institutions and residents and called for sustained support.
Similarly, the Odiologbo of Ofagbe Kingdom, Ogaga Ikpoku, backed the National Assembly’s decision, describing it as timely and beneficial to peace and stability in the region.
Overall, asset protection has also delivered environmental and social benefits in the Niger Delta. Illegal refining and pipeline vandalism once left waterways polluted, farmlands infertile and communities trapped in cycles of insecurity.
With sustained surveillance operations dismantling illegal refining sites and preventing repeated pipeline breaches, ecological recovery has begun.
ENDS
