By Paul Williams
The Niger Delta Progressives Alliance (NDPA) has lauded Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), the surveillance firm responsible for the Eastern Corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), over its continuous engagement with host communities.
PINL, our correspondent reports, holds monthly stakeholders’ meetings to harvest inputs of host communities in its operational areas of Rivers, Abia, Imo and Bayelsa states.
Addressing a media conference in Port Harcourt on Wednesday October 23, 2025, leadership of the NDPA said the PINL engagement has created community ownership of the projects. They urged other security firms, such as Tantita Security Services Limited and others, to borrow a leaf and make people in their operational areas benefit from their activities.
President-General of NDPA, Amb. Nse Victor Udoh, while speaking at the conference said the group came out with the commendation after a rigorous assessment of communities in the Niger Delta.
He said: “After an assessment of the surveillance contract, NDPA came to the conclusion that PINL should be commended on it’s efforts at regular community engagement while Tantita has to begin to do so in Warri where it covers”.
The group emphasized that the surveillance contract should encourage healthy competition amongst the contractors and not attempt at the companies running each other down.
“NDPA publicly recognises Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, PINL, for practices that aligned with this model of community engagement and empowerment. Public reporting shows and we have seen in our region that this same approach has been associated with improved security outcomes. PINL has moved with conviction.
“PINL approved 646 scholarships for youths across 215 host-communities along the Trans-Niger Pipeline corridor in Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo and Abia states.
“For each of those 215 communities, PINL committed to three scholarship slots per community, ” Udoh said.
The group added that PINL has formed strategic partnerships with the Office of the National Security Adviser to establish investigative and prosecutorial facilities, reinforcing both community-safety and infrastructure-protection.
On community engagement forums, NDPA stated that PINL convenes host-community stakeholders monthly to review operations, to solicit local input, and to align surveillance efforts with local well-being.
While commending the company, the group urged them to scale up, make their monitoring and community investment visible, accountable and replicable, saying “Your strategy is a template for how sustained empowerment can happen in the Niger Delta”.
NDPA on the other hand, challenged Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited to marry its operations with community development.
“NDPA addresses Tantita with respect and clarity. The region needs your operational competence married to a demonstrable, public commitment to community empowerment”.
Specifically, NDPA urged Tantita to; “Institute consistent, monthly community engagement sessions in Warri and surrounding host communities, with published minutes and clear action items.
“Publicly publish a short, independently verifiable plan within 30 days that mirrors the core components of the model described here: local employment targets, scholarship commitments, and community amenity projects.
“Enter active collaboration with peer surveillance operators and with recognised community groups to exchange best practices rather than adopt a purely competitive posture”.
The group noted that with the scale of job being handled by Tantita, its operations can effect meaningful changes in the region if it chooses to align its operational footprint with structured community investment, adding ; “We encourage Tantita to make its community commitments transparent and to seek collaborative arrangements where other firms have demonstrated effective interventions”.
To other surveillance and security firms operating in the Niger Delta region, the NDPA recommended the community‐empowerment model urging them to embed their operations in local developments such as amenities, scholarships, jobs, monthly community engagement.
The group emphadized that the companies must work collaboratively, not just for their contracts alone, but for the community and shared future of the Niger Delta.
NDPA however, appreciated communities, traditional authorities and civil society groups that continue to hold stakeholders to account for their operations in the Niger Delta.
