Improved security in the Niger Delta region is reportedly a major contributing factor to the Federal Government’s achievement of its oil and gas sector revenue target for 2025.

Recall that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) had attributed the feat to a sustained peace in the Niger Delta region championed by operations of security agencies and pipeline surveillance contractors like Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited PINL, among others.

The Manager Community and Stakeholders Relations of PINL, Dr Akpos Mezeh, during its monthly engagement with pipeline host communities from Rivers, Abia and Imo States in Port Harcourt on Thursday, acknowledged that its activities, including robust partnership between oil host communities, contributed to the attainment of the nation’s oil revenue target.

He said: “Federal Government has met its 2025 oil and gas sector revenue due to peace and stability in the communities hosting oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta, which the Chairman of FIRS has confirmed.

“These results underscore the strength and effectiveness of our partnership, which can be attributed to consistent application of proven strategies such as safety measures for surveillance personnel, timely salary payments, rapid dispute resolution within communities, amongst others, which, combined efforts have resulted in reduced downtime and increased trust.”

He noted that some of the company’s achievements included interventions at an oil spill location in Yorla, Kpean community in Khana Local Government Area, and the bursting of illegal bunkering sites in Umubule and Oyigbo communities, both in Rivers State.

He, however, reiterated PINL’s commitment to sustainable energy security in the country, calling for support from all stakeholders.

“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to sustainable energy security, in full alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government. We have a shared responsibility to rescue our economy from further bleeding, and achieving this goal requires that all hands remain on deck,” he said.

Speaking at the stakeholders meeting, Head of Field Operations, Eastern Corridor of the Project Monitoring Office, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Akponine Omojevwe, called for effective collaboration between the host communities and PINL.

He noted that for the progress already achieved in the sector to be sustained, stakeholders and host communities must work in synergy with the surveillance company.

“We want to emphasise that there must be collaboration between PINL and the communities. PINL has gone the extra mile by approving scholarships for the host communities; they have gone out to make sure their areas of operations benefit from their activities. Let us make sure that in this task of securing the pipelines, we support them, don’t destroy their equipment,” he urged.

Meanwhile, the collaborative security operations between PINL and the Special Prosecution Task Force (SPT) of the Federal Government have led to the busting of two illegal refining sites in the Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The sites, operating under the cover of a logistics company, Emekus Nigeria Ltd, and a large piggery, were used for active illegal refining of millions of litres of stolen petroleum products, with equipment related to the illegal business found on the sites.

While Emekus Nigeria Ltd is located at Umuebule axis of Oyigbo, the piggery is located at a remote axis, east of the bank of the Imo River. Bags of stolen crude, three tanks of different capacities, and a 33,000-litre capacity truck, among other items, were confiscated by the surveillance company.

During the inspection of the piggery led by CSP Omar Sini, Head of Investigation Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task force on the Hydrocarbon Sector, a suspect, believed to be the farm manager, took to his heels when he saw the team approaching the farm.

On his part, CSP Sini, Head of Investigation, Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Taskforce on Illicit Activities on the Hydrocarbon Sector, confirmed the illegal refining sites were busted relying on credible intelligence from PINL surveillance officers.

He said that three suspects – a woman and two other accomplices were arrested at Emekus Nigeria Ltd and would be prosecuted immediately after investigations were concluded.
He added that approximately 108 suspects had already been remanded across the Niger Delta and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

CSP Sini stated that the SPT had secured two convictions with 38 active cases at the trial levels and others at the investigation level. He also confirmed that sixty thousand litres of stolen products were contained in sacks inside a section of the premises of Emekus Nigeria Ltd.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Ijaw Youth Council, Eastern Zone, Prince Datolu Sukubo, has urged the Federal Government to take deliberate steps to establish policies for environmental remediation and the revamping of agricultural produce to help mitigate the rising hunger in the land.

He said, “NNPCL should come up with a strategic framework to ensure timely cleanup of the Niger Delta environment and not wait until the spill occurs before something is done.”

He pointed out that the International Oil Companies (IOCs) have left, while the devastation still in the land remains unremediated.
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He said, “There is a need to move from intentionality to actions that will transform and impact the young generations.”

He also raised concerns that land disputes and leadership tussles have led to some of the challenges in the oil communities, calling for proper management of communal issues.