The Federal Government yesterday said it would henceforth, award contract for the protection of petroleum pipelines across the country to communities hosting the pipelines, as part of measures to curb pipeline vandalisation.
This is in reaction to the December 25 pipeline explosion, which led to loss of lives in a community in Lagos.
Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Abubakar Lawal Yar’Adua, said this yesterday, during his visit to the scene of the latest fuel pipeline fire that claimed 60-lives at Adagbo Village, in Iru Local Council of Lagos State, adding that award of the contract to host communities was to give them sense of ownership.
According to him, government has directed Shell, ExxonMobil and other oil majors to contract communities to protect their pipelines. “We are giving the communities contract to secure the oil pipelines. This will make them part of the owners of the lines and ensure that vandals do not gain access to them,” he said, adding that already, communities hosting the Chanomi Creek pipelines have been awarded contract to guard the pipelines, which have suffered series of vandalism by militants.
Meanwhile, Warri Refinery may resume work within the second week of January 2008. Yar’Adua said with the repair of pipelines which supply crude oil to Warri and Kaduna refineries, Warri refinery will resume operations by the second week of January 2008, while crude oil supply to the refinery would resume on December 29, 2007.
On the issue of the Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of the refineries, he said TAM would be carried out on Kaduna refinery within the next three months, while that of Port Harcourt would be done during the first quarter of 2009, adding that a total of $23million (N2.8-billion) material needed for the operation at Kaduna is already on site.
Yar’Adua also said unmanned aircraft that would provide surveillance on oil installations were already in Port Harcourt.
Dec282007