An unidentified militant group in the Niger Delta has blown up a crude oil trunkline in Ughelli, Delta State, barely 24 hours after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo led a Federal Government delegation to the region.
Osinbajo had last Monday held a meeting with traditional rulers in Delta State with the objective of finding lasting peace in the region.
The pipeline belonging to the Niger Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, located behind the SETRACO construction yard, along the East/West express road, was seen raging with fire at about 4:30p.m, sending huge balls of flame into the atmosphere, which could be seen from different parts of Ughelli metropolis.
Though the flame had subsided at about 7:12p.m, our correspondent could not immediately reach the spot as the terrain could not be easily accessed as at press time, it was not certain if the cause of the fire was as a result of an attack or environmental impact, as no group has claimed responsibility.
However, confirming the incident, a security source, operating in the area, debunked insinuation that the inferno was as a result of an attack by suspected militants.
He said: “The cause of the incident is as a result of bush burning. Someone set fire on the area and the pipeline, which had some crude oil spill on it and the surrounding environment went up in flames, sending huge balls of flame into the air.”.
Speaking further, the source said: “We are ensuring the maximum protection of oil and gas facilities in the area and I can assure you that there would be no form of attacks on oil facilities in the area like time past.”
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo led a Federal Government delegation to the Niger Delta last Monday and lamented that the geopolitical zone had long been neglected.
He said most of the developmental initiatives embarked on in the past by successive regimes had not been able to achieve their developmental objectives for the geopolitical zone.
Osinbajo, however, assured the people that with the needed cooperation, unity and collaboration with all the stakeholders, the present administration would bring about the much-expected infrastructural development to the Niger Delta.
Osinbajo and his delegation comprising the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, landed in Oporoza in a Nigerian Navy 231 helicopter about 12.04pm.
They were received by His Royal Majesty, Oboro Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South West Local Government Area of the state.
The Vice-President, who had earlier led his delegation into a closed door meeting with the Gbaramatu monarch and other prominent Ijaw leaders including King Alfred Diete-Spiff, were later received at the Palace Stadium-Pavilion where he addressed the jubilating Ijaw people who turned out in their thousands to welcome him.
He said the delegation were in Gbaramatu at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari towards finding lasting peace in the region.
The Vice-President, whose delegation also visited the temporary site for the take-off of the Nigeria Maritime University in Kurutie, noted that he was impressed with the infrastructural facilities at the institution.
Earlier, Okowa had told Osinbajo that the state government was ready to partner the Federal Government and the people of the area to bring about lasting peace.
He noted that the Vice-President’s visit would go a long way to ensure enduring peace in the region.
Kachikwu, in his remarks, charged the people of the region to look beyond oil for development, noting that tourism would enhance the Niger Delta’s growth.
The Chief Edwin Clark-led Pan Niger Delta Forum in its submission in Oporoza said the visit showed the Federal Government’s readiness to interact and develop the long-neglected people of the Niger Delta region.
A former Police Affairs Minister, Alaowei Bozimo, who was mandated by PANDEF to speak on its behalf, urged the Federal Government “to expeditiously name the Government Negotiating Team to engage PANDEF’s representatives to kick-start the dialogue process for the resolution of the lingering Niger Delta Question.”
On his part, the spokesman for the Gbaramatu Kingdom, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, who spoke on behalf of HRM, Oboro Gbaraun II, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, said the visit of the Federal Government would engender peace and economic boom in the country.
Meanwhile, Coalition of Civil Societies in the Niger Delta, yesterday, tasked the Vice President Yemi Osibanjo-led federal delegation to the troubled Niger Delta region to come out with “clearly defined commitment on what they will do for the region, so that the people of the region can, in turn, hold the Federal Government accountable to such commitments.”
Osibanjo, had last Monday, embarked on a tour of states in the Niger Delta to chart a peace path in ending the restiveness in the area which has affected oil and gas productions.
The group, in a statement signed by the Executive Director, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Reverend David Ugolor and Mr Joel Bisina of Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITE-Africa), among others, urged the Federal Government to work closely with state governments in the region, irrespective of political party affiliations, to promote regional initiatives and cooperation.
They posited; “We are mindful of the state of critical infrastructure in the region and are eager to mention that the poor implementation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme is part of the reason for the resurgence of conflict. While government has emphasized disarmament, training and payment of allowances to militants, it has failed to implement the reconstruction aspect of the programme that deals with the accelerated development of the region.
“The resulting poor state of infrastructure is, therefore, a major reason for the current crisis. In a related vein, we particularly frown at the complete neglect of the reintegration aspects of the programme, as well as other critical elements of the Amnesty exit strategy.
“While we laud the increased allocation to the Presidential Amnesty Programme in the 2017 budget, we must quickly note the progressive reduction in allocation to Niger Delta institutions such as Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in the 2016 budget and the 2017 budget proposal.
“We want to state that government must pay special attention to developing critical infrastructure and completing existing projects including the East-West Road, among others, and embark on new projects that will have significant impact in the lives of the majority of Niger Delta people.