From Emmanuel Ogoigbe, Warri
THE damage done to the Forcados terminal gas pipelines by suspected militants costs the country over 250,000 barrels of crude and gas daily, says Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
The vce president stated this during the weekend after he and his entourage returned from an inspection tour of damaged gas pipelines at Forcados Terminal, Delta State.
He added that the damage done by the vandals has led to low supply of gas which has resulted in the drop of power supply in the country.
Osinbajo said: “We went to Forcados to see for ourselves the sabotage done to our pipelines. We have seen the alternative steps that the NNPC is taking in order to ameliorate the damage that has been done and the problem associated with getting gas from that terminal to all of our plants.
“Aside from the gas problem, there is also the problem of losing thousands of barrels of production. We are not able to produce as much as we ought to. About 250,000 barrels are lost per day. We are losing large sums of money daily. We look for alternative while we look to repair the pipelines.”
Osinbajo, however, assured Nigerians that “there are efforts being made by the federal and state governments as well as through communal help to ensure that we not only must meet current vandalism challenges but also look into what we can do in the future.”
He said the Federal Government would use sophisticated weapons in the fight against pipelines vandalism to ensure it checkmates their activities, adding that it would also overhaul its security and put in place a permanent pipelines security as an option.
Osinbajo said: “All of us must agree with the president that the vandals must be treated with the most severe manner and should not be tolerated at all. So, I agree entirely that pipeline vandals should not be tolerated under any circumstance.
In his part, the Delta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, said the Forcados terminal is important to Delta State and the nation.