A group known as Partner for Petroleum & Energy Sector Prosperity Initiative (P-PESPI) said it has observed with concern and condemned in strong term the persistent and deliberate sabotage of the AITEO E&P Nembe Creek Truck Line Pipelines and other Critical National Petroleum Pipelines Assets by Criminal and unscrupulous entities/ individuals in order to cause damages, compromised the integrity of the pipelines and steal crude.
This illegal activities around this critical National Petroleum Assets has cause a lot of disruptions in Revenue inflow to Government, affected the Environment of the host Communities and Aiteo/Oil Companies Commercial Interests.
In a press release by on Sunday in Abuja, Chairman of P-PESPI, Lord Charles Ibiang, passionately appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a Security Red alert over NCTL in particularly, since is mostly affected and others due to the persistent and deliberate Sabotage of this critical and important Petroleum Assets.
The statement read, “Mr. President Sir, the constant attack and disruptions of the NCTL is worrisome and seriously affecting the Environment of the host Communities along the Trunk of the Niger Delta, a Region your Govt is devoting so much attention and spending huge Resources to Clean up.
“The disruptions on NCTL has seriously affected Crude Production, transportation from Eroton, NewCross, Belema Oil and SHELL Fields.
“Mr. President Sir, bring to your notice, that industry information from NEITI, NNPC, NEC adhoc Committee on Prevention/Control of Crude Theft and other sources reveals that “ Nigeria in 2019 recorded a loss of 22.64million barrels of crude oil valued at $1.35billion for the half-year and $2.7billion for the full year at a global oil price of USD60 per barrel, these losses were recorded on the following pipelines:
“Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) – 9.2 million barrels; Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) – 8.6 million barrels; Trans Forcados Pipeline (TFP) – 3.96 million barrels; and Trans Escravos Pipeline (TEP) – 877 thousand barrels.
“Mr. President, this is a huge drain on Our Country Revenue Projection and has serious implications for our National Security for such Resources to be in the hands of non-State Actors. This may be the illigal Economy Fueling Insecurity and Extremism Terrorism in our dear Country because of the Global dimensions of Crude Supply, Demand and Sales.”
Ibiang said his organization, Citizens Communication and Advocacy Centre with other Civil Society Organizations were planning to embark on a 1 Million Man peaceful March against Crude Theft and Pipelines Vandalism to the State House, NNPC and Embassies of US, UK, etc to raise national and global awareness to this dangerous menace this January, 2020.
Charles Ibiang use the opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR to Set up a new Security Joint Task Force Comprising Strategic Stakeholders like Host Communities, Oil Companies and Security Agencies and immediately declare a security emergency around the Nembe Creek Trunk Line Pipelines NCTL and other Critical Petroleum Pipelines Assets before it’s too late.
