Protesting Ijaw youths on Sunday stopped the repair works on the Escravos Lagos pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Gas Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
The latest development apparently truncated the inauguration of the strategic gas flow line slated for the last week of this month[October] by the management of the corporation.
The repair was almost completed before Sunday�s incident in Kurutie community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
Ijaw youths reportedly arrived at the sites and chased away officials of the contracting firm, De�Wayles International Limited and those of the NGC supervising the execution of the job, from the areas.
They vowed not to allow works to resume at the sites until the NNPC redeems its pledge as contained in the memorandum of understanding entered with the leaders of Gbaramatu kingdom before the commencement of the job.
Specifically, the protesters demanded the construction of one hospital, electrification scheme and the provision two 500 KVA generating sets to serve various Gbaramatu communities as contained in the MoU.
They feared that the management of NNPC might not honour the agreement after the completion of the repair works, adding that their disposition before the Sunday�s development was in deference to the indigenous contractor handling the job.
The pipeline supplied gas to the installations of Power Holding Company of Nigeria and other industrial consumers nationwide before it was ruptured at different locations in the creeks of Wari South West council in February 2006.
The vandalisation led to shortage of gas supply to PHCN facilities, particularly, the Egbin Thermal Plant in Lagos. The attacks on the pipeline resulted in daily loss of 180 million standard cubic feet of gas by NGC in the past 20 months.
This development culminated in poor power supply in many parts of the country. Already, the pipeline had been repaired at 23 of the 24 locations, where it was vandalised, before the incident on Sunday.
The President of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities, Dr. Oboko Bello, in his reaction said the failure of the NNPC�s management to implement the MoU duely signed with the communities could truncate the prevailing peace in the Niger Delta.
Bello added that it was unfair that the NNPC jetissioned the MoU even as the repair of the pipeline was nearing completion.
The Managing Director, NGC, Mr. Voka Mukoro, confirmed the stoppage of the repair works on the pipeline by the Ijaw protesters.
Mukoro, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Monday, however, said steps had been taken by the corporate headquarters of NNPC to meet their demands.
According to him, two giant generators have been dispatched to Gbaramatu kingdom, while efforts had been initiated to meet other requests by the group.
Mukoro urged them to allow the contractor to return to sites in the interest of the country, adding that the NNPC would deliver on its promises.
Oct162007