Press
Release
In
a bid to effectively combat the growing scourge of pipeline sabotage that has
impacted negatively on its operations, the Management of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced the renewal and extension of the
pipeline protection contract to some of its host communities.
Explaining
the rationale behind the renewal of the contract which was first awarded in
2011, the Corporation stated that there has been a noticeable increase in the
spate of attacks on crude oil, products, and gas pipelines since the expiration
of the first community-based contract in 2012 leading to frequent production
shut-ins and deferrals of gas supply to power plants.
“The
pipeline protection contract is part of our community engagement programme
across our host communities aimed at getting community members to help in the
task of protecting the pipelines around their communities.
“It
would be recalled that while the earlier pipeline protection contract to the
communities which lasted from 2011 to 2012 subsisted, breaches to our pipelines
were minimal which conduced to the rise in production. The recent rise in the
frequency and intensity of willful attacks on our pipelines dictates that we
step up our community engagement programme to help stem the tide of the
pipeline vandalism scourge.
“In
the current programme, we have not only renewed the contracts for the three
initial community-based companies involved in the 2011 contract, we have
extended the programme to five other community-based companies in other states
where we have a high concentration of pipelines stretching from the Niger Delta
to the Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and Lagos States.
“The
contracts do not in any way obviate or undermine the responsibility of the
police and other security agencies to protect the pipelines. They are actually
designed to complement the work of the security agencies by raising the alarm
and drawing the attention of security agencies to any suspicious movements
around the pipelines right of way,” the Corporation stated.
It
called on the media and other members of the public to desist from reading
political meanings to the Corporation’s operations.
OHI
ALEGBE
Group
General Manager,
Group
Public Affairs Division,
NNPC
Towers,
Abuja.
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