Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Melee Kyari said on Tuesday that the shutdown of pipelines across the country was deliberate.
He listed reasons for doing this to include the challenges of not making it an operational business thereby making the NNPC to incur losses.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned he said this during the ministerial briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the State House, Abuja.
The authorities of the NNPC according to him borrowed one billion US dollars from the AFREXIM Bank to make things right in respect of the refineries adding that the management of the NNPC was confident that it was restoring the company for about 90 percent efficiency.
He further noted that the repayment of the borrowed money was tied to the productivity of the refineries, expressing confidence that the NNPC would deliver on the rehabilitation exercise
He also assured that importation of petroleum products would end by the middle of next year.
He lamented the economic loss on the part of the nation owing to the activities of pipeline vandals across different regions and religious organizations.
Some of the pipelines are according to him illegally connected to Churches and Mosques.
Kyari also announced that the NNPC management was building a National Reserve Company.
Submitting that the issue of crude oil theft is real and posing a threat , he however said the NNPC was not helpless as its efforts were paying off.
295 illegal connections were according to him discovered in one line, in less than 200 meters, and that the NNPC with the help of the security agencies and the directive of the Chief of Defence Staff was able to intervene.
He said so far, 30 Speed Boats, 179 Wooden Boats, 37 trucks have been impounded but added that the NNPC management had taken a decision to henceforth burn such confiscated products.
122 persons including highly- placed individuals have according to him been arrested between April and August while some of them have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
He said 739 ovens for the illegal crude oil theft have also been discovered and some destroyed, 344 reservoirs and 355 cooking pots were also according to Melee Kyari discovered lamenting that the level of involvement in the illegal business was worrisome.
‘It simply means destruction of environment. We have lost revenue’ he said.
Commenting on the reported pipeline surveillance contract awarded to the former Niger Delta agitator, Government Ekpemupolo also known as Tompolo, Kyari said the contract was not awarded to Tompolo as an individual , but rather to a company he has interest in.
He explained that it was not the first time that individuals within the Niger Delta region were awarded such a contract noting that the decision was in the best interest of the people.
Kyari added that he was of a considered opinion that the Federal Government had taken the right decision to hire private contractors to protect its oil pipelines nationwide.
He argued that although the security agencies were doing their part, end-to-end pipeline surveillance would however require the involvement of private entities and the community stakeholders.
‘We need private contractors to man the right of way to these pipelines.
So we put up a framework for contractors to come and bid and they were selected through a tender process. And we believe we made the right decision’ he said.
Government Ekpemupolo, a former militant commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, is popularly called Tompolo- Team@orientactualmags.com
Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you
