Use military personnel to protect oil pipes

The Federal Government has been urged to deploy military personnel for protection of oil pipes to safeguard them from constant vandalism.

Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, South-West Chairman of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), made the call during interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Lagos on Thursday. He stressed that protection of the pipes should be given priority.

The chairman said marketers in oil sector and government were losing billions of naira due to vandalism.

He said the recent bombing of pipes in Niger Delta led to the closure of Port-Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.According to him, this has led to the stoppage of loading of petroleum products at NNPC depots in Mosinmi, Ejigbo and Ibadan.

Korodo said the convergence of petroleum tankers in Apapa for loading had resulted in gridlock, adding that it would lead to scarcity if not checked.

The chairman appealed to Federal Government to expedite action on the repair of vandalised pipes so that work would start in the two refineries.

NAN reports that militants blew up the Abiteye Flow Station and Sagara Chevron line pipes in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta on Jan.14.

The attack came few hours after multiple explosions rocked several oil installations between Ikpokpo and Odidi flow stations, mostly in Gbaramatu Kingdom.

These led to the closure of Kaduna and Port-Harcourt refineries by NNPC.