OPC Pulls Out Of NNPC Pipeline Surveillance

Jun 15, 2015



The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) said it would pull out its men from guarding all Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines nationwide from Monday evening.

Mr Yinka Oguntimehin, the Spokesman for Gani Adams Faction of the congress said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Monday.

Oguntimehin said that this became necessary because the corporation had yet to start paying for the work its men are doing.

He said the corporation was, as part of the contractual agreement entered into, three months ago, expected to start payment.

The spokesman said that the OPC personnel had continued to guard the pipelines with the belief that the corporation would pay as promised.

“When we were given the contract on March 15, it was agreed that they will release money for the OPC personnel for effective protection of the NNPC pipelines nationwide.

“We lost one man last month because of the activities of the vandals here in Lagos, while some of our men were arrested in the course of protecting the pipeline.

“We had told them to release some of our money before the new administration took over, but they kept promising us.

“Enough is enough, three months have passed since our members started monitoring the pipeline, and we have fulfilled our part of the agreement.

“By 10p.m today, our personnel will move out of the NNPC pipelines nationwide and this applies to other groups in the country,” he said.

The federal Government had in March awarded a multi-billion Naira contract to the OPC to secure NNPC pipelines in the South-West Zone of the country. (NAN)

Protesters shut down flow stations in Delta over pipeline contracts

Ebenezer Adurokiya —Warri

SCORES of protesters from Urhobo and Isoko host communities in Delta State, on Monday morning, shut down flow stations and operations at the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) in their areas.

This was on the heels of reports doing the round that oil surveillance contract awarded to former freedom fighter, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, expired on Monday.

Obviously propelled by the feelers, the Isoko and Urhobo ethnic stock went on protest over inclusion in the next pipeline surveillance contracts and the need for NDPC to pay up the OML30 GMoU N1.4 billion funds owed them.

The protesters, armed with twigs and leaves, were made of youths, women and leaders of the Urhobo and Isoko Host Communities of Nigeria (HOSTCOM).

The NPDC flow stations shut down during the protest were OML 26, 30, 34, and 65 in Udu and Ughelli South local government areas of the state.

The protesters stormed the flow stations at 9.00 a.m, shut down the facilities with a demand that NPDC should immediately create a contract department in its Edjeba office to take care of contractors in Delta State.

But armed soldiers attached to the flow station were on hand to avert a breakdown of law and order during the protest.

Leaders of the host communities, Mr. Efe Okovwurie, Mr. Morrister Idibra, Pastor Rochard Erhurhore and Mr John Obaro, who led the protests, warned that the oil facilities in OML 26, 30, 34, and 65 would remain shut until NPDC and NNPC awarded separate pipeline surveillance and intelligence gathering contracts to Urhobo and Isoko host communities.

They added that NPDC must pay up the nine-month outstanding monthly salaries of host communities' workers in OML 26, 30, 34, and 65, alleging that NPDC was indebted to most of the indigenous contractors.

The HOSTCOM leaders decried the replacement of indigenous contractors, whose contract tenure had expired for over two years and the refusal of NPDC management to renew same.

DaGC:
Nigeria is a truly complicated country.

When the pipelines were being protected by the said 'security agencies', Nigeria was losing millions of barrels. Even with the private security contractors, we are still losing 400,000 barrels daily.

What's the way forward?

barcanista:
The FG should fulfil its own part of the agreement

ECOTERRORS:
Another fuel scarcity looming, take it or leave it this guys are needed to do that job in collaboration with security agencies.
Pay these guys now and not the 5k APC might have in mind as part of their social welfare scheme

OREMUSSANCTUS:
South West

barcanista:
The FG should fulfil its own part of the agreement

barcanista:
The FG should fulfil its own part of the agreement