NNPCL, Kyari blocked us from oil security deal -Agip Contractors tell Court

A group of indigenous contractors from the Niger Delta has challenged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its former chief executive, Mele Kyari, in court over what they describe as the unlawful exclusion of qualified local firms from a major pipeline surveillance contract.

The contractors, under the Incorporated Trustees of the Agip Indigenous Contractors Association, say the contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Limited was given without a fair or transparent bidding process, despite multiple letters of interest submitted by their companies. They accuse NNPCL of breaching the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, which was designed to ensure that Nigerian firms, particularly those from oil-producing communities, benefit directly from the industry.

According to court documents, the contractors, comprising seven contractors from the Niger Delta claim the contract was quietly handed to Tantita, a company owned by former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, while qualified indigenous firms with longstanding ties to host communities were left out. They argue that the process was manipulated to serve private interests rather than national or local ones.

Lawyer to the plaintiff, R.U. Afangide, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the law was clear in mandating the inclusion of local content and community participation. The contractors are asking the court to compel NNPCL to give them an equal opportunity to bid for the contract, which they say they are fully capable of executing.

Meanwhile, NNPCL and Mr Kyari have denied the allegations, arguing that as a company now governed under the Petroleum Industry Act, they are free to operate commercially and are no longer bound by public procurement laws. They maintain that all contracts awarded, including those given to Tantita, were done in full compliance with the law and that there was no breach of the local content law.

But the Agip contractors insist the issue is not about indigeneity in name alone. They say the heart of the matter is the exclusion of contractors from the very communities where these pipelines run, contractors who understand the terrain, have established relationships in the region, and have long contributed to the stability of oil operations in the area.

They argue that awarding such a critical contract to a single politically connected firm, without fair competition, undermines the objectives of the local content law and worsens the sense of economic injustice in the Niger Delta. The plaintiff added that the situation is an example of how powerful interests continue to marginalise qualified local players under the guise of reform.

The case has now been adjourned to 7 July 2025 for hearing, after the plaintiffs’ counsel informed the court that not all defendants had been served with hearing notices. Justice G. Umar agreed that fresh notices should be issued before the next session.