By Mayor Eshanekpe Israel
When in 2022, the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nig LTD, TSSNL, High Chief Kestin Pondi, a reputable philanthropist, successfully secured his first oil well signaling a significant milestone in his career as an engineer and Security management guru having demonstrated his weird managerial skill with TSSNL since the inception of the flagship of Security firms in sub-Sahara Africa particularly marine security where High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo popularly known as Tomopolo own TSSNL has maintained leadership in the security of oil infrastructure in the western axis of the Nigerian Waterways.
Engr Pondi who was granted an oil prospecting licence (OPL) through his company, Kalm Marine & Petroleum Services Ltd in 2022 to explore the Ogbanabou field (PPL213) is a major achiever in this regard as this has culminated in the completion of his first oil well after two years of dedicated efforts which chronicles resilience, hardwork, loyalty, humility, expertise, managerial excellence, deep understanding of his operational environment and the people riding on niceties of super interpersonal relationship.
Chief Pondi demonstrates the zeal to build a water tight security of the operational areas of the TSSNL which has resulted in the cries of the wheelers and dealers in stolen oil resources in collaboration with their foreign accomplices who relishes undermining the nation’s security.
His Excellency, the Mayor of Urhoboland, Eshanekpe Israel popularly known as Akpodoro in this piece seek to chronicle the excellent management of the workforce of the TSSNL by the MD that has culminated into a huge success in the security, surveillance and protection of the oil pipelines within the jurisdiction of TSSNL and even beyond after the contract award in 2022 when the nation’s oil quota in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC hitherto was below 1m barrel and as now recorded exponential growth since the inception of the President Bola Tinubu administration owing to the dexterity of the Chief Poindi’s management expertise his use of the community based policing of the oil infrastructure.
Mayor AKpodoro highlights that the Tantita Security Pipeline Surveillance Contract had significantly boosted the nation’s oil production output as he expressed hope that with Pondi’s TSSNL in the Nigerian waters, very soon oil theft will be a thing of the past.
“This has rapidly increased the nation’s oil production to 1.8 million barrels per day surging towards 2m barrels/PD
According to the Mayor, contrary to the notion that TSSNL was hurriedly put together for the purpose of winning the ongoing pipelines surveillance contract in 2022, the TSSNL particularly as the company’s reputation under the management of Chief Pondi, Akpodoro said was only bouyed by the award of oil pipeline surveillance contract in 2022 by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the then Mele Kyari-led Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL but the firm as of 2023, has been in existence for 18 years!
Established in 2005 by Chief Engr. Kestin Pondi, a notable Ijaw son of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West of Delta State, South-South Nigeria, TSSNL, among other companies founded by the entrepreneur, is a business concept that prioritises the interests of people and the environment foremost ahead and driven by a social and environmental concerns and has been doing greatly to address those issues that necessitated the arm struggle of the first decade of the 21st century.
Driven by the finesse of the management of the TSSNL the NNPCL handed over the secuirty of the pipelines to the firm amidst critisms by cynical minds who questioned the contract of the protection of national asset to a private firm in lieu of the conventional security architecture to deliver on the contract of securing oil pipelines and their related assets in the oil and gas industry in the Delta region.
Akpodoro noted that one of the most important achievements of the Chief Pondi’s TSSNL is the empowerment and favourable engagement and Empowerment of the youths of the region through the community based pipelines surveillance system that has buoyed the domestic economies of most youths in the region thereby stemming crimes and criminalities.
For those who are not directly engaged, the Managing Director has sustained the firm’s human capital growth and development by supporting farmers, market women, school children and the unemployed making crimes unattractive in the region and this the Mayor sees as a big win for TSSNL, the region and nation at large.
Environmental degradation has been drastically reduce d owning the secuirty of the waterways where vessels no longer burn and discharge gaseous substances to the atmosphere destroying the ozone layers in the region and oil spillage due to the activites of oil thieves have drastically reduced by eagle eyed TSSNL. As it is at the moment, the fear of TSSNL in the Western axis of the Nigerian waters in the beginning of wisdom.
Records has it that the Niger Delta was known as one of the world’s most polluted but beyond the primary responsibilities of the TSSNL, that record is gradually fizzling out as Pondi’s TSSNL tightens the noose around oil thieves thereby ending the regime of pipeline vandalism, illicit oil bunkering, adulteration and outright stealing.
Akpodoro, who is a critical stakeholder in the security surveillance of the oil infrastructure, described TSSNL’s Managing Director as the engineroom of the security firm who has been able to trigger progress in the firm he said has made Nigeria proud.
Of note, the Mayor noted was the court-ordered seizure of two vessels arrested by TSSNL and prosecuted in conjunction with the Nigeria Police and won the case which industry watchers see as a major feat achieved in the battle in war against illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta region.
Two Federal High Courts, sitting in Abuja, had ordered the forfeiture of MT Kali and MT Harbour Spirit to the federal government.
The courts also ordered the sale of the stolen crude oil contained in the impounded ocean-going equipment by the NNPCL.
The two vessels were arrested by the eyed operatives of TSSNL in a manner that depicts dedication, honesty, commitment, and solidarity to the nation.
Acting on workable intelligence the Pondi’s management had risen to the occasion by reining in MT Kali while siphoning crude oil from Pennington Oil field of the Anglo-Dutch energy giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Bayelsa State, on January 11, 2024.
Twenty crew members, including community boys’ accomplices, were arrested in that operation.
Meanwhile, Moldovian vessel was caught while stealing crude oil from Sengana oilfields in the coastal axis of Bayelsa State.
All of these achievements were made possible due to the managerial prowess of the leadership of the firm led by Chief Pondi, a very articulate, fastidious, with a knack for excellence at all times.
Additionally, in community development, Akpodoro says, Chief Pondi has led the security firm to a lofty height in community development. The firm is tackling the challenges of food high cost food and has delved into large-scale commercial farming in rice. Conquering food insecurity is a milestone in that part of the country where the activities in oil exploration have made farming unattractive to youths.
The federal government on its part should consider widening the operational areas of TSSNL and give it teeth to bite harder by increasing its budgetary allocation due to the magnitude of the work of securing a national assets that was hitherto a feeding bottle for criminals and their foreign accomplices.
The achievements of the TSSNL under the management of Chief Pondi won’t be complete without the mention of the construction of rehabilitation of Ugborikoko Police Division, the construction of Army Transi Camp in Effurun, Warri, and so many other interventions never done before by a revolutionist in our clime and it is surprising how much humility and reticence exuded by these two giants – Tompolo and Pondi.
His Excellency, Eshanekpe Israel popularly known as Akpodoro, writes from Ughelli Mayoral Palace, Delta State
