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“Pipeline Protection Contracts Should Cover Wellheads, Terminals Too” — Lokpobiri
The Chairman of the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Forum, Jonathan Lokpobiri, has called for an expansion of pipeline protection contracts in the Niger Delta, insisting that the current arrangement should go beyond pipelines alone to include other vital oil and gas infrastructure.
Lokpobiri made the call while speaking on the scope of surveillance and protection projects awarded to security contractors and local firms operating across the oil-rich region.
According to him, limiting the contracts strictly to pipelines leaves several critical national assets vulnerable.
He explained that the Niger Delta is home to numerous oil facilities such as wellheads, export terminals, flow stations, and related infrastructure that are equally important to the country’s petroleum industry and economic stability.
“The projects awarded to these companies have a clear scope: to take charge of pipelines criss-crossing the Niger Delta.
However, the Niger Delta goes beyond pipelines alone,” he stated. The youth leader stressed that contractors handling pipeline surveillance naturally monitor surrounding facilities during their operations, noting that government should officially broaden the responsibilities to cover all critical infrastructure in the region.
“There are also wellheads, terminals, and other facilities that have not been properly covered in the awards. When people are contracted to secure pipelines, they will not ignore other critical infrastructure. All these elements should be included in the scope of the projects awarded to them,” Lokpobiri added.
His remarks come amid ongoing concerns over oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal refining, and attacks on oil facilities in parts of the Niger Delta.
Stakeholders in the region have repeatedly argued that a wider security framework is needed to effectively protect Nigeria’s oil assets and improve crude oil production.
Lokpobiri further maintained that involving local groups and communities in broader infrastructure protection would help strengthen security, create jobs for youths, and reduce economic sabotage in the region, see more….
“If You Lost Sleep, I Lost Some Too” — Tinubu Speaks On Nigerians’ Economic Hardship
The Chairman of the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Forum, Jonathan Lokpobiri, has called for an expansion of pipeline protection contracts in the Niger Delta, insisting that the current arrangement should go beyond pipelines alone to include other vital oil and gas infrastructure.
Lokpobiri made the call while speaking on the scope of surveillance and protection projects awarded to security contractors and local firms operating across the oil-rich region.
According to him, limiting the contracts strictly to pipelines leaves several critical national assets vulnerable.
He explained that the Niger Delta is home to numerous oil facilities such as wellheads, export terminals, flow stations, and related infrastructure that are equally important to the country’s petroleum industry and economic stability.
“The projects awarded to these companies have a clear scope: to take charge of pipelines criss-crossing the Niger Delta.
However, the Niger Delta goes beyond pipelines alone,” he stated. The youth leader stressed that contractors handling pipeline surveillance naturally monitor surrounding facilities during their operations, noting that government should officially broaden the responsibilities to cover all critical infrastructure in the region.
“There are also wellheads, terminals, and other facilities that have not been properly covered in the awards. When people are contracted to secure pipelines, they will not ignore other critical infrastructure. All these elements should be included in the scope of the projects awarded to them,” Lokpobiri added.
His remarks come amid ongoing concerns over oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal refining, and attacks on oil facilities in parts of the Niger Delta.
Stakeholders in the region have repeatedly argued that a wider security framework is needed to effectively protect Nigeria’s oil assets and improve crude oil production.
Lokpobiri further maintained that involving local groups and communities in broader infrastructure protection would help strengthen security, create jobs for youths, and reduce economic sabotage in the region, see more….
“If You Lost Sleep, I Lost Some Too” — Tinubu Speaks On Nigerians’ Economic Hardship
