The cost of pipeline vandalism to Nigeria
by Gabriel Enogholase
29-05-08 Nigeria has lost over N 150.5 bn to pipeline vandalization in the last eight years just as no fewer than 2,550 people have lost their lives due to fire incidents resulting from pipeline vandalism within the same period under review.
The Head of Protocol and Publicity, University of Benin, Mr Eddy Akpomera reeled out these figures in Benin while presenting a paper at a media seminar organized by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on pipeline vandalism and illegal oil bunkering in the Edo State capital.
In his paper, "Pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft; the ecological and economic impact", Mr Akpomera disclosed that over 12,756 cases of vandalization have occurred in the country between the year 2000 and 2007 even as 35,000 barrels of crude oil have been spilled into the environment in the last six years. He disclosed that the nation loses between 10 and 15 % of its daily oil production to theft arising from illegal oil bunkering, which he ascribed to greedand get-rich mentality.
According to him, the general impression in the global community is that pipeline vandalization was peculiar to Nigeria for economic reasons.
He stated that the problem of pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering has proved difficult to tackle due to corruption at all levels, and inadequate security to protect oil facilities in the massive creeks of the Niger Delta, adding that crude oil theft was a network of international fraud.
On the impact of pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering, Mr Akpomera said apart from spilled crude from vandalized pipes destroying the ecology, crude oil theft distorts revenue projections with attendant effect of stalling development.
To curb the malaise, he recommends oil companies increased collaboration net-working between communities' vigilante groups and security agencies.
Mr Akpomera, while observing that the country's value system which celebrated ill-gotten wealth was responsible for the persistence of the problem and other vicesin the country, urged the nation to re-evaluate its value system, while also tasking the media to continue to highlight the problem.
Source: www.downstreamtoday.com / Comtex News Network
