Iheanyi Udah is a 35-year-old farmer living in Onicha-Amiyi, Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State.

The man is always eager to tell any willing listener how his two hands became severely burnt.

“One day in 2004, I just returned from the farm and saw several people in my village scooping fuel from a vandalised pipeline. I joined them but at a stage, an explosion occurred.

“Several people were burned to death while some lucky ones like me survived with severe burns; it is by God’s grace that I survived the fire incident,’’ he said.

“Even if you offer me N1 million to go near a vandalised pipeline again, I will bluntly reject it because it is evil and deadly. Such escapades bring death within a split second. People should avoid getting involved in pipeline vandalism,’’ he added.

Udah‘s experience reflects the experiences of many others who have encountered fire disasters at some vandalised sections of petroleum pipelines which traverse the country.

Prior to the Onicha-Amiyi incident, concerned citizens recall the pipeline inferno in Jesse, Delta State, in 1998 that left scores dead and wounded.

To avoid the recurrence of such incidents, the management of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) recently launched an anti-pipeline vandalism campaign to sensitise neighbouring communities to the risks and dangers of pipeline vandalism.

Mr Tony Ogbuigwe, the company’s Managing Director, urged the communities to assist in efforts to check pipeline vandalism.

“Pipeline vandalism can lead to oil spills, which can also lead to degradation of the environment. It can also pose health hazards and if there is fire, it can also cause deaths,’’ he said at the inauguration of the campaign in Okrika, Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Ogbuigwe, who was represented by Mr Ralph Ugwu, the company’s Public Affairs Manager, pledged the company’s readiness to stage sustained public awareness campaigns on the dangers of pipeline vandalism.

However, Ajomiwe Ezuma, a historian, identified poverty as one of the root causes of pipeline vandalism in the country.

‘Poverty in the land has driven people to rupture pipelines in search of petroleum products. I must confess, it is a very risky venture but people, out of sheer desperation and frustration, still embark on it.

“More public enlightenment campaigns should be carried out to educate the people, especially those living in communities around the pipelines, on the dangers of pipeline vandalism.

“Some pipelines may be carrying gas, crude or refined petroleum products like petrol, kerosene or aviation fuel but the volatility of the pipelines’ content does not matter to the desperate people who jettison the risks involved in pipeline vandalism,’’ Ezuma said.

Concerned citizens note that many people have died in the jungles, creeks or seas while vandalising oil pipelines.

They say that attempts to rupture a high-pressure oil pipeline usually provoke instant fire, adding that the development often leads to the burning or death the perpetrators, who could even be swept away by sea tides.

Ezuma urged the communities to organise in-house campaigns for the residents, particularly youths, who were often tempted to partake in pipeline vandalism because of their “get-rich-quick’’ worldview.

“ It is the duty of the communities to prevent their people from falling victim to the effects of pipeline vandalism,’’ he adds.

He stressed that apart from the loss of lives due to infernos at vandalised pipelines, the environment became damaged, while the national economy was sabotaged whenever an oil pipeline was vandalised.

Ogbuigwe, nonetheless, stressed that the PHRC campaign would expose all the dangers inherent in pipeline vandalism to the people of Okrika and other communities more lucidly.

“ The campaign, which is primarily targeted at exposing the evils of pipeline vandalism; is also targeted at enlightening the people about the evils of the aberration,’’ he said.

“We also want to thank the people for being hospitable hosts over the years we have been operating here. There is peace and harmony and we received their total support.

“We urge the people to continue to support us, so that, in concert with them, we will operate the refinery for the benefits of our people here and the nation at large,’’ Ogbuigwe said.

Mr Alfred Orupabo, the Secretary of Okrika Local Government Council, also urged the people to be mindful of the dangers of pipeline vandalism.

“Pipeline vandalism is evil; it is dangerous to the environment, the people’s health and the nation.

“We will cooperate with the PHRC to ensure that pipeline vandalism does not occur here. People must refrain from it because of its very deadly effects,’’ he said.

Mr Robert Obizie, an official of the PHRC’s Community Relations Unit, said that the public awareness campaign would be a continuous activity until the communities and their residents were adequately sensitised on the issue.

“It is a very big task but we believe that through our constant engagement with the people via public enlightenment activities, the people will be able to absorb our message that pipeline vandalism destroys lives, the environment and the country’s economy,’’ he said.

Mbonye writes for NAN.

Mike Mbonye