Kestin Pondi: Building People of Ezonland Beyond Tomorrow

Melody Fidel Okwuazu

On the streets of Delta State, High Chief Kestin Ebimobowei Pondi, the man his admirers fondly call ‘Daddy Kess’ or ‘Daddy K,’ is known as a young philanthropist.

 Ironically, Pondi does not see himself like that; he thinks he’s doing what he’s doing naturally for someone in his position.

Of course, he appreciates that those who call him a philanthropist are appropriately describing how society sees what he’s doing, but he himself has an uncomplicated moral code that simply wouldn’t let him see himself as doing anything special.

Those who know him more intimately are not surprised at his unpretentious humility. This has a lot to do with his upbringing and cultural consciousness. He grew up in a home where his parents and kinsmen taught him that giving is just simply a duty, rather than an act for which you expect a reward. As a follower of the Ezon traditional religion, charity is simply a form of justice, a way of life. He does not see himself as doing anything extraordinary; he sees himself as everyman.

But, for those who are in the business of studying the development of entrepreneurship in Nigeria and Africa, like myself, High Chief Pondi is a great inspiration, a young man that needs to be platformed appropriately because of his potential.

Pondi registered his first company, Ponkebi Nigeria Limited in 2006, which, in his own words, he did “without the hope of getting it to do anything.”

According to him: “I just know that if I register a company, that’s the first step to get things done.”

And that is how he has simply approached life from the moment he became fully conscious of his place in society; he’s done so with the untiring drive to get something done, even when he had nothing.

He attended the famous Nana College, Warri, Delta State and went to the South-East for his tertiary education at Enugu State University of Science and Technology where he read Civil Engineering. High Chief Pondi is a Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers and also a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Industrial Security. While being a total Nigerian and an international citizen by friendships, association, educational environment, professional affiliations and work, High Chief Pondi is a man fully grounded in his Ezon homeland.

He champions their causes and has joined forces with the famous Tompolo, one of Ezonland’s most famous sons, for this purpose.

He became the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and today through his Kalm Marine and Petroleum Services Limited, he’s secured an oil prospecting license since 2022 to develop the Ogbanabou field (PPL213). It is a testament to his courage that he has chosen to prospect, rather than lazily sell off the licence and take the cheap money and move on as most young people are wont to do. His perseverance in this high-risk sector is already yielding result with the completion of his first oil well last year.

And talking about high-risk, nothing is riskier than being in charge of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, which, to High Chief Pondi, is just an expression of his patriotism and love of the country. Today, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited is the foremost specialist security company in the coalface of the fight against oil theft, crude oil vandalism and the menace of illegal refineries in Nigeria. Before the company was engaged in 2022, these scourges had almost crippled the Nigerian economy because of our outsized dependence on oil.

To get an idea of the kind of success the company has achieved in the fight against these problems, it is instructive to note that in 2022, crude oil losses measured at about 36.6 million barrels with daily production output of about 800,000 to 900,000 barrels per day. But a report by the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission for the year 2023 January to 2023 December shows very significant reduction of oil losses from 36.6 million barrels in 2022 to 7.68 million barrels, reflecting a staggering 79 percent decrease compared to the previous year.

Indeed, from the company’s engagement in 2022 to November 2024, its courageous workforce, despite the threats they faced and the loss of lives, showed what High Chief Pondi called “unparalleled commitment” in the fight against crude oil theft when they discovered a total of 3,963 incidents, which were captured on the NNPC IMRA Portal. Out of these, 702 were illegal connections, 971 were cases of theft, 1,784 were illegal refinery cases involving the destruction of 3,063 as of now and 204 cases of aversion or deterrent. Within this same period, the Tantita team apprehended 8 vessels, 3 tugboats, 6 barges, 117 vehicles, 52 tankers and tanker trucks, 47 fibre speedboats, 7 tricycles or motorcycles, 1,743 wooden boats, all involved in illegal operations.

In all this, High Chief Pondi leads from the front. His commitment to see that Nigeria’s oil wealth is properly accounted for by eliminating incidences of oil theft and crude oil vandalism and other associated crimes is unwavering. He sees this as national duty. High Chief Pondi is an Assistant Corp Commander with the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires, Delta State Command.

For a man not born with the silver spoon, High Chief Pondi is a pull-up-yourself-by-the straps-of-your-boots kind of person who is a hard worker. But unlike many in his position who simply focus on big industries and projects, High Chief Pondi’s natural value for enterprise makes him see those struggling in the lower rungs of the entrepreneurship ladder. His vision of an Africa powered by young entrepreneurial people seems to underline his business activism.

On Thursday, March 6, 2025, he presided over a well-attended ceremony at the MBB Event Centre, Effurun, Delta State, where he gave out the sum of N200 million to 40 small and medium-scale entrepreneurs from all across Nigeria after a process of selection that took weeks. He was not part of the selection process. Instead, he employed a team of professional assessors and consultants who did the selection through a competitive process that finally produced the 40 that made it to the final of the event in a venue in Effurun, Delta State.

Pondi originally was going to give N5 million each to 20 of the 40 entrepreneurs that made it to that final. That was what was advertised and worked for by all involved, including the competitors. But, true to his nature, after the 20 who made it through the selection process to be winners have been called on stage and gifted their N5 million cheques, he proceeded to assure the ‘losers’ that actually they haven’t lost. He went on to call them all on stage and gave them the equal amount of N5 million each!

This was not a show for Pondi. It was a serious affair. He sees himself as sowing seeds. From the moment the advertisement was put out for budding entrepreneurs to apply, he put his heart and soul into it by giving the project everything necessary. He ensured that contestants were accommodated comfortably, fed and provided with comfortable transport and made to really feel valued, even though they are the beneficiaries of his generosity. At the end of the show, he was keen to remind the beneficiaries of the grants that while he wouldn’t look forward to get any benefit from their businesses, his greatest joy would be to see that they put the money given to them to good use by using it to grow their businesses, no matter how modestly.

He established a consulting group and a support machinery that he immediately empowered to continue to give the lucky entrepreneurs ongoing support and mentorship at no cost to them. In essence, he is, even after this great gesture, insuring them against failure. Talking to the beneficiaries, he said: “My objective is to improve you; I want to see you improve.”

Pondi is a farmer sowing seeds that he wants to see others harvest to better themselves.

He is a constant fixture on social occasions throughout Ezonland and Delta State and throughout the South-South and the South-East and in many other parts of Nigeria and the Nigeria Diaspora where he’s constantly in demand as a donor or sponsor of one project or the other in support of people and the communities in these areas.

Typically, he approaches these engagements like a duty in a hands-on manner and in a way that those who benefit from his financial support and mentorship actually feel a part of his larger family because of his deep commitments to their needs and what they’re doing. This is how he manages to attract a mini-Nigeria anywhere he goes because those who’ve benefitted from him are from all over Nigeria, home and abroad.

Pondi is happily married to the love of his life, Chief Mrs Blessing Ebimene Pondi and they have seven lovely children. His wife has remained a source of strong support for him and he has always appreciated her.

The story of High Chief Pondi is just unfolding before our very eyes. I’m urging young Nigerians to look at him as an exemple of what is possible in our nation and the capacity they have to make a change if they show character, courage and commitment to the cause of the nation outside politics. Industry pays. All it takes is to start and put your nose on the grindstone. Like High Chief Pondi, just think to get things done and work to get things done, even if in the beginning you’ve got nothing.

In fact, in describing his venture into business with his registration of his first company in 2006, High Chief Pondi often quotes the Roman philosopher, Seneca who said: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” So, while he knows the role of serendipity in his life journey, he also recognises what the Boys Scout motto says: “Be Prepared.” You cannot just hope for luck; you must also have a talent for luck. Talent means preparation and with that opportunity becomes the dream.

Okwuazu writes from United Kingdom. He is a multiple award winning entrepreneur-missionary who is the Founder and Director of the Nigeria and UK-based Stability and Sustenance Limited.