The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa has urged host communities of the Trans Niger Pipeline TNP to develop an ownership culture of all the national assets sited on their lands and communities saying it is in their interest and that of the nation in general.
General Musa who gave the charge in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday during the monthly stakeholders engagement of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) also lauded the company for its efforts in achieving zero infractions on the TNP.
Represented by Navy Captain Lassie Audi Ozovehe the CDS warned the communities that they were not insulated from the hazards of oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism and therefore should endeavour to ensure they were totally eradicated from their communities.
He said; “We just want to appreciate Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, PINL, for what they are doing. Everybody came here to thank them.
“One of the youths leader did mention that no need asking any other person to come and look after the pipeline. It is our own. Since we are benefitting from it and it is our property, why not look after i”And you can see the health hazards that it cause. If you go and break the pipelines, at the end of the day it will affect you than the IOCs. So let’s work together to increase our production, to enhance government’s capability to provide our necessary needs”.
Addressing community leaders from Rivers, Imo and Abia states at the July stakeholders engagement, General Manager, Community and Stakeholders Relations of PINL, Dr Akpos Mezeh stated that Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, PINL, has developed a strategy that enhanced the security of the TNP leading to a near zero infractions on the Eastern Corridor of the pipeline.
He added that in the course was able to develop and maintain synergy with stakeholders particularly Government Security Agencies GSAs and the project management as well as levels of the host community leadership.
He said their achievements were rooted in the consistent application of proven strategies—ensuring the safety of their surveillance personnel, timely salary payments, and rapid community dispute resolution, all contributing to reduced and increased trust.
Mezeh said: ” I’m delighted to inform you that, in line with our core mission of securing the Eastern Corridor pipelines, PINL has recorded near-zero incidents in the past month. This outstanding result speaks volumes about the strength of our collaboration with host communities and the commitment of our teams on the ground.
“Building on this momentum and with a firm resolve to stop the bleeding of our national economy by unrelenting saboteurs, our mandate is now broadened to include all oil and gas assets, notably gas pipelines within the NNPCL-classified Eastern Corridor”.
He called on the stakeholders, partners and surveillance contractors to stand stronger and step-up their commitment to carry out the broader responsibility with renewed strength for the benefit of the nation.
Mezeh however, said that while the company was making steady and appreciable progress in securing the pipelines which has been demonstrated in the drastic increase in crude oil production and the associated economic, social and environmental benefits to the country, the company and its allies still face some challenges such as gaps in sharing vital information, safety of surveillance guards, stakeholder connivance, leadership disputes in communities amongst others.
He reiterated the commitment of the company to the sustainable development of host communities in full alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, stakeholders at the meeting commended the efforts of PINL in securing the pipelines along the Eastern Corridor. They however, used the occasion to call on the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, operators of the pipelines to go beyond securing pipelines to securing lives and properties in the region.
The stakeholders such as Mene Suanu Baridam, Kasimene Bangha of Bangha Kingdom in Rivers State, Dr Patricia Ogbonnaya-Ada Ekpeye Logbo of Ekpeye Kingdom and Prince Datolu Sokubo, Chairman Eastern Zone, Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, pointed out that if the welfare of the people were prioritised, oil theft would be a thing of the past.
Sokubo said: “PINL is having this strategic engagement with host communities, that is to say, making the host communities have that sense of ownership, partnership and inclusiveness in their activities.
“Because whether you like it or not, these facilities are owned by us, you might use the Land Use Decree to deprive us from a lot of things, but without our presence those facilities cannot be safe.
“So if they don’t prioritize the people, oil theft issues will continue. They have their records of boosting the economy, they should also consider the sufferings of the people, as youth leaders, we have to advocate for our people. I am an Ijaw man, but I cannot not sit and watch an Ekpeye man suffer from environmental degradation.”
He called on the Federal Government to also prioritize the security of lives and property across the communities, particularly on the waterways.
Also speaking, the King of Bangha Kingdom and Chairman, Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers, Mene Suanu Timothy Baridam, blamed the continued pollution of the environment on the activities of international oil companies (IOCs) and some youths.
He emphasised that the persisting hunger in the land is a direct consequence of the ongoing pollution of the environment, asserting that without the connivance of some community stakeholders, the menace of environmental degradation would have long been curtailed.
He said, “The hunger in our land is a direct consequence of environmental degradation and it is a matter that weighs heavily on our hearts. The once fertile soil in all our communities has changed because of the destruction of our land by the activities of these oil pipeline vandals”
