Buhari’s Face Has Saved Pipelines From Vandals-Kachikwu

Crude oil is now being pumped directly from Escravos to Warri Refinery and
also from Bonny to Port Harcourt Refinery through pipeline buried on the
sea bed.

This is coming as Minister of State for Petroleum and Group Managing
Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, said
incessant pipelines vandalism and fuel scarcity in Nigeria would soon end.

The Minister gave the assurance while commissioning the first privately
built multi-billion naira crude oil pipeline that now convey crude oil
directly to Warri Refinery from Escravos, saying that with the underwater
crude pipeline, it would be difficult for vandals to access it as such the
crude flow to the refineries would not be disrupted.

Dr. Kachikwu hinted that one of the problems why the refineries have not
been producing at their installed capacities was due to incessant
vandalism of pipelines and the use of marine vessels.

“With this initiative, Warri refinery will have regular regular supply of
crude. Same thing for Port Harcourt refinery which will also be supplied
through Bonny. With this, the three refineries would have refined
petroleum products, thus eliminating scarcity of the products.”

Chairman of Ocean Marine Solution, Captain Nosa Okunbo, lauded President
Muhammadu Buhari for introducing a sweeping reform in the oil and gas
sector, noting that ‘’this is first time in the last 10 years that crude
will be delivered to the Warri refinery through pipe-lines.’’

The industrialist said his company was also building a similar project
Bonny to ferry crude to and Port Harcourt refinery, expressing hope that
perennial fuel scarcity would end if the three refineries were working at
installed capacities.

“Today, we are very glad that for the first time over ten years we are
able to deliver the crude line between Escravos and Warri and crude is now
flowing through the pipeline which was impossibility over the years. We
thank God, you saw the minister, there finery people were glad , NNPC were
rejoicing and we as a company is also rejoicing for what God has used us
to do. For me, I am so glad because sometimes there are certain things you
achieve that are more than money. We have created serious value for this
county using our own resources.

“As I speak to you there is no contract in place because in our industry
there is something you call proof of concept. In our company we believe
that everything is possible when you have the will, there must be a way
and that is what we have achieved today. We thank God for the new
leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. His face has saved the pipeline
because he is a no nonsense man unlike before.

“The community is able to cooperate with us. We used carrot and stick
approach and our security surveillance and also the contract of actually
doing the job and replacing the contract. It was very tedious and sometime
we almost got killed and threat to our lives which inform why you see all
these security around us. We have put our lives on the line to deliver
Escravos, we have also delivered Bonny to Port Harcourt and today there is
crude in Port Harcourt that is flowing to the refinery
and the same thing with Warri refinery.

“As a company it was a big gamble to do this. We spent billions without
penny from NNPC but today we have cured the problem. A lot of people did
not understand, some wrote petitions that we were given contract, at a
point my name was going to be soiled and I believe in my name. Am a role
model to my family and the people on the street and that is what gave the
will to deliver this’’.