… As Agency confirms leak, decries economic impact of oil theft***
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has assured motorists and Premium Motor Spirit users in the Southeast that there would be a regular supply of products during Easter.
Mr Chinedu Anyaso, the IPMAN Chairman, Enugu depot community in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu gave the assurance in an interview with the newsmen in Awka on Saturday.
Also read: IPMAN blames private depot owners for hike in PMS price
The IPMAN chairman said that people should not panic because members in the zone had products at the outlets.
According to him, a good number of trucks are loading at the depots and, under the current supply, there is nothing that will lead to product shortage.
“There is no shortage of product now, our members have enough products and more are on the way; so nobody should panic, transporters should not take undue advantage of travellers in the name of petrol scarcity,” he said.
Anayaso, however, said it was regrettable that markets in the zone had relied on depots outside the zone for sourcing of products for more than 15 years when the Enugu depot went moribund.
He said that marketers in the zone had faced additional operational challenges associated with long-distance and bad road while transporting products from Lagos, Warri and Calabar.
He urged the Federal Government to reactivate the Enugu depot to ease the challenges of downstream operators in the zone.
He also called on governors of the Southeast to support the siting of tank farms and the building of refinery in the region.
In the meantime, the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has confirmed an oil leak from a 12-inch Benisede-Brass Creek Delivery Line at Peretuorugbene in Bayelsa.
The Director-General of the agency, Mr. Idris Musa, confirmed the incident on Sunday in an interview with the newsmen in Yenagoa.
Musa said the incident on the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) facility was investigated by NOSDRA.
He said the agency concluded its investigation on Saturday and regretted the adverse impact of oil theft and pipeline vandalism on the environment and economy of the nation.
He blamed the massive drop in power generation and collapse of the national grid on the frequent vandalism of gas pipelines.
According to Musa, a joint investigation conducted by NOSDRA, the operator, and community representatives on the incident indicated that it was caused by suspected oil thieves.
He said that the investigating team discovered that the thieves installed several “tapping points” on the Benisede-Brass Creek pipeline from where they siphoned crude.
Tha NOSDRA boss decried the act, describing it as economic sabotage.
He called on stakeholders to rise against the menace which, he said, had reached an alarming proportion.
“Despite several appeals to our people to put the interest of our nation’s environment and the economy first, some unpatriotic elements continue to inflict untold hardship on our environment and economy.
“They do this by installing several tapping points on crude oil pipelines, particularly the current incident,” Musa said.
He called on the public to join hands with the government to flush out the criminal elements that are bent on enriching themselves through pipeline vandalism and oil theft.
