The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has defended the use of indigenous companies to secure the nation’s oil and gas pipelines, as stakeholders in the Niger Delta affirmed that the arrangement has remained a win-win situation for host communities and the government.
Key Highlights
- NNPC says lines in PINL’s area of coverage on the Eastern Corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline are running “green”.
- The remarks came at PINL’s bi-monthly stakeholders review meeting in Port Harcourt on Friday.
- Ekpeye monarch says residents have returned to their farms and rivers since PINL began operations.
- Omuma monarch calls for closer collaboration between traditional rulers, host communities and the company.
- Niger Delta Ethnic Youth Leaders Forum welcomes the federal government’s renewal of PINL’s contract.
Speaking at the bi-monthly review stakeholders meeting convened by Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) in Port Harcourt on Friday, Omojevwhe Akponime, Head of Field Operations, Eastern Corridor, at the NNPC Project Monitoring Office, said NNPC’s daily reviews show the lines in PINL’s area of coverage on the Eastern Corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline are running “green”.
He commended the company for impacting positively on the nation’s drive to increase its crude production quota.
Monarchs Recount Changes In Host Communities
Traditional rulers and youth leaders across the Niger Delta also added their own endorsements of the company’s work.
The Eze Ekpeye-Logbo, Kevin Anugwo, said that before PINL began operations, soot made it impossible to dry clothes outdoors, and homes had to be swept several times a day.
He said crude oil spilled from theft had overrun farmland and fishing waters, but confirmed that residents of Ekpeye have since returned to their farms and rivers.
“You came, you saw us, and you engaged our youths,” he said. “You removed them from the forest. You made them drop their guns, and now we enjoy peace in our communities.”
The Eze Eberi-Ugo Omuma, Onyekachi Amaonwu, called for closer collaboration between traditional rulers, host communities and the company.
He said lasting results depended on that partnership. “There is no pipeline in Abuja. It is here,” he said.
Read also:
- Nigerians Question ₦2.7 Trillion Pipeline Security Claim as Olu of Warri Demands Proof
- Olu Of Warri Denies Receiving N2.7tn Annually From Pipeline Surveillance Contracts
- Niger Delta Group Applauds PINL’s Environmental Sustainability Programs
Youths Back Contract Renewal
Legborsi Yamaabana, spokesperson of the Niger Delta Ethnic Youth Leaders Forum, welcomed the federal government’s renewal of PINL’s contract.
Responding to recent criticism of the contract from some quarters in the region, he said the youths, monarchs, women and community leaders of the Niger Delta stand with the company.
“As Niger Delta people, we have adopted PINL as our own,” he maintained.
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