PENGASSAN Tasks Communities On Pipelines Protection

The Petroleum and
Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has said that the protection of oil pipelines should be the responsibility of  security agencies and host communities.
The Public Relations Officer of the group, Mr Sheyi Ganbo said this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, recently.
He said that the security agencies and host communities ought to redouble their efforts and ensure that pipelines are protected.
The PENGASSAN, PRO, urged the National Assembly to enact a bill to make pipeline vandalism, and oil theft an economic crime.
According to him, such crimes should attract death penalty, so as to deter potential vandals.
He also urged oil and gas host communities to form a reliable group capable of protecting the facilities from would-be thieves.
He recalled that the country has lost a lot to pipeline vandalism, which he said was not friendly to the nation’s economic growth.
The PENGASSAN image maker, maintained that there was the need for an urgent intervention to curb losses in the oil and gas sector, since it was the country’s major revenue earner.
Also speaking, the Chairman, South-West Chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr Olumide Ogunmade, urged the Federal government to introduce stiffer penalties for pipeline vandals.
He reasoned that the development would enable the issue of oil theft to be addressed holistically.
Ogunmade, equally called on the host communities to be proactive and protect oil and gas pipelines from vandals.