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SPOTLIGHTS
- Stakeholders commend the Tinubu administration, NNPC, and the Olu of Warri for successes in curbing oil theft
- The group highlights increased oil production and reduced vandalism as a result of these efforts
- Ex-militant leaders pledge their support and call for collaboration between communities and security agencies
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Former militant leaders and other stakeholders from the 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 also commended the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Mele Kyari, and the Olu of Warri Kingdom, His Imperial Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, OFR, for the successes recorded in securing oil and gas infrastructure and the 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 various security apparatus with the assistance of the NNPC 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, read the communiqué after a crucial meeting. He noted that the strategy and modus operandi of the NNPCL have yielded immense positive results, as there is now a drastic increase in the nation’s daily crude oil production output and a significant reduction in theft and pipeline vandalism.
Read also: Tinubu: Embracing New Values Crucial for Progress, Says Vandalism, Theft Acts of Sabotage
He stated that as a group made up of ex-militant leaders and stakeholders from 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 the Niger Delta to ensure sanity prevails.
While commending Kyari for the enormous results achieved within the nation’s oil and gas sector, they stressed that the steadfastness against oil theft demonstrated by the Olu of Warri Kingdom, His Imperial Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, who also serves as the Chairman of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and Ocean Marine Solutions Company (OMS), stems from patriotism.
The group stated that the PINL team, led by Mr Osahon Okunbo, has stood firmly against oil thieves, thwarting their plans, adding that PINL has demonstrated its capacity to handle pipeline surveillance in the Niger Delta region.
The ex-militant leaders, therefore, implored Niger Deltans to support the PINL security team to foster synergy between the host communities and the pipeline infrastructure and facilities, ensuring a secure Niger Delta region free from pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.
