Nigeria has opened a new chapter in its upstream petroleum development with the 2025 licensing round conducted by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). It targets 500 million barrels in new reserves and 300,000 barrels per day within three years. For many stakeholders, the continued protection of oil pipelines through Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL) operations and peace and stability of the Niger Delta are required to achieve the NUPRC’s targets.
Nigeria has continually charted new pathways in attaining oil sustainability and enhanced production timelines.
The 2025 Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) oil licensing results speak to the country’s commitment to achieving new milestones in the sector.
In this exercise, NUPRC reported that 143 companies submitted 200 bids for 37 out of 50 blocks during the commercial bid phase, targeting 500 million barrels in new reserves and 300,000 barrels per day within three years.
But achieving this goal will require more than commitment to oil production. It requires sustainable oil assets protection and fight against oil theft and maintaining peace in the Niger Delta.
It extends to assigning critical surveillance roles to institutions with tested expertise and commitment to taming the scourge.
That was what the Federal Government of Nigeria did when it appointed Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL) to protect oil assets and ensure peace and stability in the Niger Delta.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had appointed Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) led by High Chief, Dr. Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, to protect Nigeria’s oil assets in the Niger Delta region.
The appointment was to enable TSSNL, through its security operations, support the national economy in getting the full benefits of oil resources.
The TSSNL works in collaboration with other security outfits to achieve its goals of securing oil assets and ensuring peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.
Tantita’s operations had ensured the security of oil pipelines, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of petroleum resources, and ensuring that Nigeria migrated from a position of constant loss management to stability, planning, growth and development.
The TSSNL operations have transformed the oil and gas landscape and allowed Nigeria to expand oil production quota and significantly cut rampant oil theft.
Its track record in mitigating risks associated with oil pipelines has positioned it as a reliable partner in preserving Nigeria’s economic backbone.
As stakeholders advocate for the continued collaboration with TSSNL, the imperative of securing oil infrastructure remains at the forefront of efforts to ensure the nation’s sustainable development.
In the development process of any society, certain assets contribute to the advancement of society and its people. These assets ensure economic or monetary benefits for the people. These assets could be regarded as operating assets, non-operating assets or leased assets, among others.
Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Muda Yusuf, said Nigeria is in the age of energy transition, and protection of oil assets will significantly help boost production.
He said the 2025 round is ultimately an attempt to build a more resilient, more attractive, and more future-ready energy sector but security in the sector must also be in place.
“We are in the age of energy transition. NUPRC’s operation in this exercise is good for the economy. It will boost foreign reserves, firm up the naira and macroeconomic environment while deepening foreign capital inflows to the domestic economy,” he said. He said the level of investment in the oil and gas industry is also expected to rise with the current exercise given that improved security in oil and gas assets. “The new momentum generated will help build capacity to increase the level of production in the oil and gas industry,” he added.
Steven Martins, Abuja-based energy expert said the new bid round’s transparent output signals far more than another administrative exercise. He said more should be done to ensure continued protection of oil assets.
“It represents a strategic recalibration of Nigeria’s energy ambitions at a time when global markets are shifting rapidly and the country faces pressure to strengthen production, attract capital, and reposition itself in the era of energy transition.
“As NUPRC is looking forward to harvesting additional 500 million barrels to the national crude oil reserve from the 2025 bid round. These extra barrels expectedly will be driven by the commencement of operational activities of the 31 companies that emerged as winners of 37 oil and gas blocks in the bid round licensing. Protection of oil assets should also form part of the priority areas for stockholders and that where TSSNL should always be supported to achieve its goals,” he said.
Explaining how it played out, he said the blocks were drawn from diverse terrains including the Niger Delta Onshore 16; Niger Delta Shallow Water, 18; Niger Delta Deep Offshore, one; Benin Basin Onshore, three; Anambra Basin Onshore, four; Chad Basin Onshore, four and Benue Trough, four.
The Commission’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, who spoke at the Commercial Bid Conference for the Nigeria Licensing Round with the theme: “Expanding Opportunities: Right Play, Right Place, Right Time,” noted that “the assets available in this Licensing Round have potential to add about 500 million barrels to Nigeria’s reserves, increasing our existing reserves of crude oil and condensate—which currently stand at 37.01 billion barrels—and 215.19 trillion cubic feet of gas.”
According to her, the rejection of the 13 frontier blocks did not take the commission by surprise when they were returned with bidders.
She said that even the assets presented at the 2025 commercial bid were recovered from operators and the NUPRC will similarly assess the meeting the threshold for return to the basket.
Eyesan said, “The reason why we are in the market is because of the blocks that we have recovered from existing operators.
Other analysts said the licensing round marked the first time in the country’s energy landscape that frontier basins would attract such level of investor interest.
The companies that emerged winners of the 2025 Licensing Round include: SSonic Petroleum Limited (PPL 2A29), CFP Pipeline and Flowlines (2A30), Dutchford E&P Limited (2A32), Attabanson Global Company Limited (2A33 and PPL 901), Rosem Energy Limited (2A38), Pivot-GIS Limited (2A39), Network E&P (2A40), Asharami (2A41), LexOil (2A42), BVOF (2A43), GupscoEnergy Limited (2A44 and 2A51), Saratoga (2A45), Volante (2A46), Concept-Reel Petroleum Services Limited (2A47 and 2A55), Clinton Oil Field (2A48 and 2A62) and Nuway Oaklane Limited (2A49).
Others are Ramec (2A50), Italia (2A53), Blueridge E&P (2A54), Up Energies Limited (2A56), AYM Shafa (2A57), Blackrock Holdings Limited (2A58), Funtay Integrated Business Limited (2A59), Riparian Development and Production Limited (2A60), Nikstallis (2A61 and PPL 900), Stardeep Petroleum (PPL 2010), Dakoda & U Limited (PPL308 and PPL 800), Southborne Oil and Gas Limited (PPL 902), Lanaka Petroleum (PPL 903) HighbanResources Limited (PPL 700), Eyre Energy Limited (PPL 801).
Views from stakeholders
In a published report, President General, Niger Delta Progressive Alliance, Nse Victor Udoh, said pipeline protection enabled national institutions to progress 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.”
The immediate impact has been operational. 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,” he stated.
Further benefits extend into public finance. Higher accounted-for production translates directly into increased export revenues, improved foreign exchange inflows, and strengthened fiscal capacity. National oil company performance in recent years illustrates this shift toward profitability and efficiency, driven in part by reduced losses and enhanced operational continuity.
As revenues stabilise, government budgeting gains credibility. Development planning becomes less speculative. The national economy gains breathing space to invest in infrastructure, social services, and diversification. This breathing space matters. It allows policy makers to think beyond survival and begin shaping structural reforms, industrial expansion, and long-term social investment. It also reduces dependence on emergency borrowing and short-term fiscal patchwork.
Traditional rulers and community leaders in the Niger Delta have called for continued support for Tantita Security Services Limited following a vote of confidence passed on the firm by the National Assembly of Nigeria.
The leaders said the company’s involvement in securing oil and gas pipelines has led to visible improvements in oil-producing communities, particularly in reducing crime and creating jobs 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 firm.
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,” he said. “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,” he added.
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 said.
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 improved security since it began operations, noting that both visible and intelligence-based strategies have been deployed. “They have done very well and improved security since they began operations,” he said, adding that the firm’s activities now cover a large number of communities.
Akpemegi said the company’s presence has brought benefits to both traditional institutions and residents, and called for continued backing.
In the same vein, the Odiologbo of Ofagbe Kingdom, Ogaga Ikpoku, supported the decision of the National Assembly, describing it as timely and beneficial to peace and stability in the region.
Overall, asset protection has also produced environmental and social dividends, particularly in the Niger Delta. Illegal refining and pipeline sabotage once left waterways polluted, farmlands infertile, and communities trapped in cycles of hazard and insecurity. With sustained surveillance operations dismantling illegal sites and preventing repeated breaches, ecological recovery has begun.
Apa writes from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
