NNPC rallies support of key stakeholders to protect pipelines

Tue, Jan 21, 2020
By publisher
2 MIN READ

Oil & Gas

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has called for the support of traditional rulers and other stakeholders to curb oil theft and resulting incidents of pipeline fires.

Mele Kyari, group managing director of NNPC,  made the call Monday during a visit to the scene of the pipeline fire at Ilepo in the Abule-Egba area of Lagos, to assess the level of damage.

Addressing newsmen after assessing the vandalised area, Kyari, decried the health, environmental and other hazards caused by the vandals, especially the loss of lives, and sued for synergy of security agencies, traditional leaders, residents and all well-meaning Nigerians in curbing the ugly trend.

He expressed the readiness of the NNPC to work with security agencies and traditional leaders to demolish structures that are within the precinct of its Pipelines Right of Way, PROW, to reduce the incidences of pipeline infractions, insertions and curb petroleum products theft.

He said anybody who was linked to pipeline vandalism either directly or indirectly, including residents of the immediate community, would henceforth face the full wrath of the law.

“Having shut down to contain the damage yesterday, we’ve now fully restored the line. We are now back on stream. Petroleum products are flowing all the way from Atlas Cove to Mosimi and to Ilorin Depot. We enjoin everyone to work with us in sustaining this,” he appealed.

The NNPC helmsman expressed appreciation to all the emergency response agencies in Lagos for their prompt response and for putting out the fire, stressing that distribution of petroleum products has been restored and that there was no cause for alarm.

Kyari appealed to Oba Rilwan Akiolu 1, Oba of Lagos, to rally all the traditional leaders in the state to help secure the pipelines, stressing that collective effort was required to curb the menace.

On his part, Oba Akiolu pledged his support to organise other Obas in the state to fight pipeline vandals to a standstill.

On behalf of all the security agencies in Lagos, Flag Officer, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Oladele Daji, noted that the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies working under “Operation Mesa” were scaling up their operations to ensure that pipelines across the nation were safe and secured and to avoid recurrence of pipeline fire.

– Jan. 21, 2020 @ 12:29 GMT |

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