Port Harcourt – The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) said on Wednesday that it was currently engaging its host communities to end attacks on oil and gas pipelines in the Niger Delta.
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The Company’s Land Asset Manager, Mr Boma Brown, said this in Port Harcourt at a sensitiSation workshop entitled: “Pipeline Vandalism and Encroachment for Communities in Imo, Rivers, Isimiri and Nkali Fields.’’
Brown said the company’s operations had been largely affected by the current rise in acts of vandalism against its pipelines and wellheads facilities in the area.
“The workshop is basically to sensitise our host communities and alert them on the high spate of vandalism of our oil and gas facilities in their domains.
“Vandal activities on our facilities in the past few years have not only affected our operations negatively but degraded the environment.
“The message is that these attacks have to stop especially in the face of its negative impact on the environment and current downturn in oil price and the economy,” he said.
Brown said that collaboration with host communities was important as most vandals who attack oil and gas facilities reside in rural communities.
He said the partnership would boost confidence and enable residents to discretely provide information on the where about of vandals to security outfits.
“SPDC is doing other things with government, local government and security agencies by way of exploring other ways to end puncturing of pipelines.
“We are happy that local governments and traditional rulers have indicated interest to join in this fight.
“We are optimistic that if all stakeholders play their role, then the challenge and menace of vandalism on pipelines and oil facilities will stop,” he said.
Earlier, the Abia Commissioner for Environment, Mr Gabriel Igboko, urged government to take more proactive steps to end oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the country.
He said that activities of vandals had not only affected government revenue generation but severely impacted negatively on the nation’s ecosystem.
“Puncturing of pipelines by a greedy few in the society has left the environment polluted and destroyed crops, livestock and marine life.
“I urge the federal authorities to severely punish vandals to serve as deterrent to others,’’ he said. (NAN)