…As crude oil delivery rises by 98%

The Federal government has been urged to extend the pipeline surveillance contract of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), citing an increase in crude oil delivery through the Trans Niger Pipeline from three per cent to 98 per cent.

The group said the reported improvement, alongside the reopening of previously shut-in oil assets and the removal of illegal pipeline connections, demonstrated the importance of sustaining surveillance operations to protect Nigeria’s oil revenue.

According to statement issued and signed by its National President, United Niger Delta Congress (UNDC) Mallam Julius Obi, it stated that when the company commenced operations in August 2022, only three per cent of the crude pumped through the Trans Niger Pipeline reached the Bonny Terminal. By September 2026, delivery rate had risen to 98 per cent.

The group also said Oil Mining Lease (OML)11, which had remained shut for 18 months, was restarted within 90 days of PINL’s engagement.

The call followed recommendations by the technical subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities, which investigated allegations against PINL and its Managing Director, Dr Osahon Okunbo.

According to the UNDC, the subcommittee found the allegations against the company and its management unsubstantiated and recommended that the petition be dismissed and further investigation discontinued.

The group said the panel also recommended commendation for PINL’s operations, a vote of confidence in the pipeline surveillance arrangement and an extension of the company’s contract.

The UNDC said PINL’s reported operational performance provided grounds for the government to consider continuity in the surveillance arrangement, arguing that disruptions could undermine efforts to protect oil and gas infrastructure.

It further credited the company with remediating 2,049 illegal pipeline connections and destroying 1,010 illegal refinery clusters.

According to the UNDC, PINL’s operations cover 215 host communities, with more than 35,600 surveillance guards recruited from the Niger Delta.

The company’s operational assets include 28 forward bases, 130 boats, 175 vehicles and 25 drones deployed to monitor pipelines and other oil and gas infrastructure.

The group said the scale of the operations highlighted the role of community-based surveillance in combating crude oil theft, protecting petroleum assets and supporting improved production.

Beyond pipeline security, the UNDC said PINL had awarded more than 5,000 scholarships to children in host communities, trained over 4,000 women and girls in vocational skills and provided flood relief to more than 10 communities in Rivers State.

It argued that extending the contract would preserve jobs, sustain community engagement and provide greater certainty for workers and other stakeholders involved in pipeline surveillance.

The group also called for a longer contract tenure, saying continuity would help consolidate the reported gains in the Eastern Corridor and strengthen the security of critical national assets.

On the company’s leadership, the UNDC said Okunbo had sustained and expanded its operations following the death of his father, Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo, founder of Ocean Marine Solutions, from which the group said PINL’s operational foundations emerged.

It urged the Federal Government to create more opportunities for young Nigerians to manage strategic national assignments and commended President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser and the management of NNPC Limited for their roles in supporting efforts to secure oil and gas infrastructure.

It said the extension would help consolidate the gains recorded in crude oil production, safeguard critical petroleum infrastructure and sustain employment in the Niger Delta.