By Cynthia Erutor
The Special Adviser, Niger Delta Affairs, Delta State, Mr. Giftson Omatsuli said those clamouring for cancellation of pipeline surveillance services are enemies of the country and therefore appealed to the federal government to allow pipeline surveillance services continue to protect the nation’s wealth in this direction.
Omatsuli stated this on Friday in Warri at a Press Conference convened by Communities Pipeline Stakeholders” to Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), a private security outfit.
The Special Adviser appealed to the Federal Government to allow PINL to continue with the good work of securing pipelines going by its outstanding performances in the security of the nation’s assets.
Mr Omatsuli, a former Commissioner, representing the Itsekiri ethnic Nationality at the Delta Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) noted that, withdrawal of the surveillance services would amount to encouraging criminalities in the Niger Delta adding that the activities of the vandals had seriously impacted negatively on the economy, the ecosystem, health, livelihood and aquatics in the region.
His words:” Withdrawing the services of the surveillance companies will worsen the pipeline vandalism and by implication reduce revenue accruing to the government”.
PINL, a former Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS) 40, 42 and 30 renders various services across the Niger Delta to operators and key players in the oil and gas sector of the economy. This indigenous company has been operating since 2017 by providing security services in the Trans-Forcados, Escravos-Warri and OMS 40 (Trans Benin River-Otumara) crude oil pipelines in Delta.
According to him, pipelines transverse the Niger Delta to other parts of the country and outside Nigeria saying that the security of the pipelines belongs to the people of the Niger Delta adding it is their duty to secure them . He said in the past, the people were of the view that the pipelines belong to the federal government adding , then, they did not know what government is all about hence they were vandalizing the pipelines.
Omatsuli said the awareness of Niger Deltans to see the pipelines as their properties, has arisen the need to protect them as this has gone a long way to increase production output and increased the nation’s revenue and therefore commended the federal government for creating the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as that would boost the resources of the country.
On his part, Mr. Canaan Ajagbawa, an opinion leader in Olero Community in Warri North Local Government Area ,said ,oil bunkering activities have reduced drastically in community as a result of the operations of the PINL saying, they are aware that the federal government intends to make some changes since the contract is due for review.
His words:”We are aware that the federal government wants to make some changes, the contract is up for review. Since PINL came on board in 2017, oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism has reduced greatly in OMS 40, 42 and 30 and crude oil production level increases correspondingly. So, we are appealing on behalf of the Olero, Egbokodo, Batan and other over 20, communities the PINL transverses that the federal government should allow the company to remain and continue with the good job”.
In same vein, Mr Ibuje Joseph, leader in OMS 30 upland, off Escravos said, peace and crude oil production have increased tremendously in the area since the security outfit came on board.
His words:” You do not change a winning team, since PINL came on board in 2017, peace has improved and crude oil production has risen from 50,000 bpd to about 85,000 bpd in OMS 30 area. So, federal government should allow the company to continue with the good work.”
Not left out is Secretary and opinion leader in Olero Community, Dr Jeffery Wilkie. He said that the best way to secure pipelines is to involve the communities in the protections saying PINL came with a formula to engage the communities in the job adding that, most of the workers were community-based.
According to him, the private security outfit adopted a robust community relations saying those indulged in illegal bunkering activities have renounced and now involved in the intelligence gathering of the pipelines and therefore added his voice to appeal to the federal government to retain the security company as well as increased the funding saying crude oil is the life wire of the nation’s economy.