• Canvass community security team
By Daniel Abia - Port Harcourt
Communities behind the Oloma flowstation in Bonny local government area of Rivers State and the Organization of Fishermen Seafood Dealers and Farmers in Niger Delta (OFSDF/ND) have decried the absence of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Pipeline surveillance contractors within the Oloma flow station and its environs.
The communities lamented that the absence of such contractors have accounted for countless and massive bunkering activities in the area that has caused monumental damage to the environment and fishing activities.
Speaking to villagers and fishermen on how to help tackle the menace in one of the catastrophic crude spill affected community, Otokomabiri lying about 600 meters behind the NNPC Oloma flow station, Chairman Board of trustee of OFSDF/ND, Mr. Richard Abbey, challenged NNPC to name the pipeline surveillance contractors in charge of the NNPC Oloma flow station axis, saying it is evident that the ones contracted within the area has reneged or does not exist.
“If the government has contracted anyone within the Oloma axis to safeguard NNPC pipelines, it then means some persons are defrauding the people of millions of naira meant for guarding pipeline within Oloma and other Bonny communities as well as creating room for vandals to take advantage.”
Abbey observed that some persons collect money on monthly basis in the name of surveillance but never puts up any sort of appearance in the area. This, he said allows pipeline vandals to take advantage of their absence to perpetrate vandalism and illegal bunkering activities.
He said it is regrettable that other areas enjoy the presence of pipeline surveillance contractors while that of Bonny remains a pipe dream.
“Our message to NNPC and relevant authorities is clear. NNPC should tell us which contractor is in charge of the Oloma axis; the spate of bunkery doesn’t suggest the slightest presence of surveillance contractor is in the area. We are tired, burst pipelines today, tomorrow clamping and this has turned out a problem for communities like Oloma, Okoloma lodge and Otokomabiri within the flow station,” he said.
On the alternative way of stalling this sabotage, he urged NNPC to contract part of the surveillance job to the organization to provide fishermen and community members living within the flow station to form a more formidable security team to tackle the menace.
“As fishermen in the area we are seriously affected by these bunkering activities, we are angry that some persons are paid millions of naira to take care of the pipelines but yet look the way while catastrophic bunkering activities are carried out hence we are offering ourselves to help stop this,” he said.
The post Bonny residents lament bunkering, tackle NNPC appeared first on Daily Independent Newspapers.
