The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has commended the management of Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for its efficient distribution of petroleum products across the country during the Yuletide.
In a statement signed by the union’s Chairman, Mallam Ibrahim Iro and released in Kafanchan, southern Kaduna State, NURTW noted that the country witnessed fair and equitable allocation of petroleum products to marketers during the season, a situation that helped motorists to avert undue hike in transport fares across the nation usually experienced during the period.
“We should commend the handwork and commitment of the leadership of PPMC for its effort in ensuring that petroleum products were available across the country during the season,” he said. “Everyone appreciates the critical role fuel availability play in conveying commuters to their various destinations. Had it been that fuel was scarce as many predicted, it would have affected the transport fares upwards. But that was not the case and families were able to reunite with loved ones during the season.”
Iro further praised PPMC for achieving the feat, shutting down its pipeline at Ije-Ododo community in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State to avert further loss of lives and extinguish the fire caused by vandals on the oil facility.
His words: “I want to use this opportunity to appeal to all Nigerians to shun any act capable of jeopardising the economic growth of the country, especially pipeline cannibalisation.
‘The unending incidents of pipeline hacking and product theft in the country currently pose great danger to the efficient distribution and supply of petroleum products in some parts of the country and we in the north are more vulnerable in scarcity situations. Therefore, the nefarious activities of pipeline marauders, if left on checked, will cripple the economy and indeed the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.”
He also disclosed that about 774 break points were recorded from August to December 2012 from Atlas Cove to Ilorin depot only while 181 break points were recorded between Atlas Cove and Mosimi depot. From Mosimi to Ibadan, there were another 421 ruptured points, and 50 vandalized points from Mosimi to Ore. Also between Ibadan and Ilorin, a total of 122 break points were recorded.
“The record is alarming and we cannot afford to continue like this,” he noted. “The economy is bleeding and all the resources and man hours wasted on repairing pipelines could be channelled to other productive means in the country. We certainly have to condemn this dastardly act.”
