Vandalism: FG Loses N376.6bn In Six Years

Vandalism of oil and
gas pipelines across the country has resulted in a total loss of over N376.6 billion within past six years.
The Managing Director, Products and Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC), Prince Haruna Momoh revealed this at a capacity building workshop for media practitioners held in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
He said that incidents on the company’s pipeline caused by vandals rose from over 400 in 1999 to 3571 by end of 2013, stressing that the activities  of vandals have been very difficult to stem.
The PPMC Managing Director who was represented at the workshop by the company’s.
Executive Director, commercial, Mr Frank Amego, lamented that the negative activities of the oil thieves was posing a huge challenge to the operations of the company and affecting seriously the economy of the nation.
In a further analysis of the implication of the revenue loses, the group co-ordinator, corporate planning and strategy of NNPC, Dr. Timothy Okon, described the acts as economic sabotage, remarking that the amount  would have been enough for annual budget allocations for Akwa Ibom and Borno States.
He also stated that the cost of securing and maintaining the pipelines has no budgetary allocation as NNPC has no option than to incur this extra burden.
“We are required to provide services but there are no provisions or mechanism for the cost we incur to be addressed,” he said.
The Group co-ordinator urged the saboteurs to desist from their act and lamented that such incidents do not augur well for a country that aspires to be among the 20 largest economics of the world by 2020.
On his own, the Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, NNPC, Dr. David Ige opposed the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo’s claim that low price is responsible for the shortage of gas to power.
Ige was represented by the Manager, Trans Nigeria Gas Pipeline, Engr. Alfred Amadi said it takes an average of five years to complete a 100-kilometre of pipeline project and that meeting the pipeline infrastructure need may not be achieved in the short term.

L-R: Group Managing-Director, Nnpc, Mr Andrew Yakubu, Group General-Manager, Public Affairs Division, Mr Ohi Alegbe; Resource Persons, Mr Weneso Orogun and Mr Tony Nwosu of News Agency of Nigeria at a Workshop for Media Practitioners in Uyo, last Friday. Photo: NAN