A Symbol of Hope

JACK OKUDE pays tribute to Matthew Tonlagha, philanthropist and managing director of Maton Engineering Ltd

At just 50, Matthew Tonlagha has lived a full cycle of human accomplishments, spanning general welfare, education support, healthcare provision, community development, youth empowerment, job and wealth creation, and the security of lives and physical infrastructure. He is the Chairman of Maton Engineering and Vice Chairman of Tantita Security Services. He celebrated his 50th birthday on February 8 this year, a national celebration that highlighted his impactful life, especially in the oil and gas sector where his footprints are boldly expressed. The two enterprises he leads play huge roles in oil exploration and the security of oil and gas facilities, particularly in the difficult-to-navigate creeks of the oil‑rich Niger Delta.

What sets him apart is that he is a home‑grown entrepreneur, a made‑in‑Nigeria solution provider, and a grassroots man devoted to the advancement of his community, his state, and the nation at large. Endowed with natural brilliance and a wide knowledge bandwidth, he has become a role model for many Nigerian youths, exemplifying the truism that hard work is rewarded. Tonlagha is a futuristic and strategic thinker, a quality reflected in the way he manages operations at Tantita, whose chairman is the courageous Oweizdel Thomas Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo).

To properly situate and appreciate Tonlagha’s relevance, it helps to examine the state of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. The sector was once fraught with fraud, brazen oil theft, and even ship‑load scale theft. At the time, the Niger Delta was a theatre of unbridled militancy, upheavals, and agitations by youths who felt alienated from the benefits of the crude oil extracted from their land. Like the proverbial story of a woman scorned, the youths, justifiably so, raged and rallied against the Nigerian government and the oil majors that often treated them and the Niger Delta people with disdain.

This sense of injustice bred a wide range of challenges that negatively impacted oil production. The consequences were dire for Nigeria – low revenue from oil, illegal bunkering, artisanal crude oil theft, and destruction of oil infrastructure. At the time, Nigeria’s oil production sank to an all‑time low, falling far short of the OPEC quota. But all that changed in September 2022 when the Federal Government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), awarded an oil infrastructure surveillance contract to Tantita Security Services. That was the masterstroke that pulled Nigeria from the brink of an acute oil production downturn.

The impact was instant. Oil theft reduced by 79% between 2022 and 2023, with average production rising from one million barrels per day and peaking at 1.8 million barrels per day by the end of 2024. This was not magic; it stemmed from a deeper understanding of the causes of the agitations that defined militancy in the Niger Delta. Tantita quickly moved in, engaged the once restive but idle youths, collapsed the structures that divided the people from traditional leaders and other stakeholders in the communities. Suddenly, the youths became engaged. They were employed, and those who could handle small contracts were given opportunities. They committed to Tantita’s ideals and owned the entire ecosystem of protecting oil infrastructure in the region. Tantita simply democratized wealth in the Niger Delta through active stakeholder engagement, especially with the youths.

And peace, real peace, returned to the creeks. What was thought impossible became possible. Nigeria began to earn more money, thieving cartels and transnational syndicates of corruption in the oil sector were dismantled. For the first time in decades of oil exploration and exploitation, the youths became active participants in the oil production value chain. The government’s engagement of Tantita became the silver bullet that settled the dust of crisis in the Niger Delta. Tompolo and his oil and gas business partner had been the ones driving the pulley of peace in the Niger Delta and ensuring that Nigeria increased its production in recent years.

There are copious reasons to appreciate Tonlagha’s role in the new push by the government to drive oil production to over 2 million barrels per day. First, here is a home‑grown entrepreneur playing on the big stage of oil exploration, logistics, and infrastructure protection. It is proof that Nigerians, not foreigners, are the solution to the multi‑dimensional challenges facing the nation. Tonlagha has proven to the world that Nigerians can confront their fears. In the oil and gas sector, where foreign firms have held sway with clear command and control influence for decades, Tonlagha has popped up to recalibrate the dashboard and has done so with stellar results.

The man who has ensured more earnings for Nigeria in oil and gas is also a role model for many Nigerian youths. He is an example of a man who turned adversity into advantage. After becoming a victim of wrong anti‑polio medication in early life, which affected his mobility and delayed his educational pursuit, he overcame all odds to crest the curve of life. His experience later shaped his disposition to life, turning him into a philanthropist, nation‑builder, community pillar, and avid believer in the mercy of God.

A fervent supporter of President Bola Tinubu and believer in his vision of a prosperous Nigeria codified in the Renewed Hope agenda, Tonlagha has consistently promoted Nigeria’s image in the eyes of the world. His role in sustaining discourses and liaison between Washington and Abuja through strategic consultations is undeniable. That is the manifestation of a patriot, a man proud of his country who would never hold back to ensure its pride of place in the community of nations.

Those who sulk and whine over their place of birth and poor ancestry should look to Tonlagha’s story for inspiration. He had his secondary education at Ugborikoko Secondary School and later in his home community of Benikrukru, both in Delta State, and did not allow the rustic ruralness of his community to define him. Instead, he, in no time, drew global attention to his community.

When he turned 50, an assortment of goodwill messages from notable Nigerians graced the media space. President Tinubu, former President Goodluck Jonathan, serving and former governors, politicians, business people, lawyers, civil society organisations, technocrats, and socio‑cultural organisations, among others, serenaded him for his philanthropy, environmental activism, wealth‑creation initiatives, compassion for humanity, and for being a bridge between generations, community development drive, and oil infrastructure protection.

Truly, Tonlagha is not only a success; he is a symbol of hope for the hopeless and a living evidence of how the grace and mercy of God can coalesce for the sake of one person.

·       Okude, a public policy analyst, writes from Abuja