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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Ex-militant leaders and other stakeholders from six states of the Niger Delta region under the aegis of the Anti-pipeline Taskforce have thrown their weight behind the sustained fight against crude oil theft by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The stakeholders have also commended the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, and Olu of Warri Kingdom, Ogiame Atuwatse the 111, OFR, over the successes recorded at securing the oil and gas infrastructure, and war against oil thieves in the region.
They noted that despite inheriting a near-collapsed economy and poorly managed oil and gas infrastructure, the President Tinubu-led administration has successfully harnessed the various security apparatus with the assistance of the NNPCL to achieve noticeable victories against oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
Ex-militant leader and national coordinator of the Anti-Pipeline Vandalisation/Oil Theft And Illegal Bunkering Taskforce Group, Fiawei Pathfinder, also known as General OSAMA, who read the communique after a crucial meeting, noted that the strategy and modus operandi of the NNPCL has yielded immense positive results as there is now a drastic increase in the nations crude oil production output daily and heavy reduction in the incessant issues of theft and pipeline vandalism.
According to him, as a group made up of ex-militant leaders and stakeholders from the oil-producing communities, across the six oil-producing states in the Niger Delta region, they have tirelessly dedicated their lives to the fight against oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the creeks of Niger Delta for sanity to prevail.
While commending Kyari for the enormous results achieved within this one in the nation’s oil and gas sector, they stressed that the steadfastness against oil theft demonstrated by the Olu of Warri, who doubles as the Chairman, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), and Ocean Marine Solutions Company (OMS), is borne out of patriotism.
The group stated that the team, PINL, led by Mr Osahon Okunbo, has stood firmly against oil thieves thwarting all their plans, adding that it has shown by its efforts its capacity to handle surveillance of pipelines in the Niger Delta region.
The ex-militant leaders, therefore, implored Niger Deltans to give their support to the security team at the PINL for a synergy between the host communities of the pipeline infrastructure and facilities to ensure a secure Niger Delta region free of pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.
