Adewale Sanayolu
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has announced plans to commence integrity survey on its pipelines. This was even as it warned owners of illegal structures along its Right of Way (Row) to remove them or be ready to face the full wrath of the law.
The move aimed at addressing the rising wave of pipeline vandalism which most time lead to deaths and destruction of properties may not be unconnected with the recent pipeline fire incident which occurred in Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos last Thursday.
Chief Operating Officer (COO) Downstream, NNPC, Mr.Adeyemi Adetunjii, gave the red card to owners of illegal structures along its RoW during an on the spot assessment of the areas affected by the pipeline fire incident in Lagos yesterday.
Adeyemi said the integrity survey would help the corporation in determining pipelines that are susceptible to compromise and breaches by pipeline vandals.
Adetunji said NNPC in conjunction with security agencies, especially men of the Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) will rid its RoW of illegal structures in a bid to wade off criminals. The COO said pipeline ruptures within the Baruwa corridor is one becoming too many as two incidents were recorded in the community last year and another two in 2019. He worried that destruction of national assets by vandals is a criminal offence that would never go unpunished, saying some arrests have been made and investigation ongoing to unravel more people behind the act of sabotage. He called on community leaders, including members of the Community Development Association (CDA) and traditional rules to help in safeguarding critical national assets so as to address the rampant cases of pipeline fire.
He said the construction of surface pipelines has helped in saving the country huge resources that have been channeled into other developmental projects as against using same resources to construct pipeline with deeper depths, which he said costs a lot of money.