The Itsekiri Pipeline Surveillance Stakeholders have frowned at the silence of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) since January 2024, over the raging controversy surrounding the Trans-Forcados Pipeline (TFP) surveillance contract in Delta State.
They, therefore, urged the NNPCL to speak up, insisting that the Terminal Recovery Factor of the TFP, which was, “at an alarmingly low level of around 35%-45%” in 2019 when Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS) was awarded surveillance and maintenance services on the TFP, now “runs at a maximum Terminal Recovery Factor of at least 95% daily.”
Representative of the Olu of Warri/Liaison to NNPCL, Collins Oritsetimeyin Edema, who addressed the media in Warri, Delta State, on Monday on behalf of Itsekiri pipeline surveillance stakeholders, stated that “Pipeline Surveillance of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline (TFP) began around 2019 when the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) awarded a contract to Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS) to provide surveillance and maintenance services on the TFP, due to emerging threats from third- party interference and weak material integrity of the pipeline, which sadly put the Terminal Recovery Factor of the TFP at an alarmingly low level of around 35%-45%.
“Due to the excellent performance of OMS in their job offshore as affirmed by the International Oil Companies (IOCs), their scope was extended into onshore/swamp due to emerging threats.
“OMS took over the TFP in 2019, within the first six months of when it came onboard the TFP, with rare display of tenacity, efficiency, and rare camaraderie, they improved the Terminal Recovery Factor of the TFP from around 35% to between 90% – 100%.
“This rare feat not only drastically improved Nigeria’s crude oil export, but also led to Delta State becoming the number one Oil Producing State in Nigeria. Since 2019, OMS has maintained an effective workforce of over 1,500 community workers in protecting the TFP, aside from other stakeholders/interests, Community Contractors including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
“Sometime in 2022, it was found out that the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP), and other lines aside from the TFP, were not operational and totally down. The NNPCL then decided to replicate the OMS successful TFP model on other crude oil pipelines, by engaging non-state actors.”
Edema, who noted that “PINL is not the contractor on the TFP, but the job was novated to them by her sister Company, OMS”, asserted that “There has been a renewed spate of propaganda, falsehood, blackmail, mudslinging, character assassination, and malicious damage by different groups, sponsored by agents of darkness against the person of His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri, and Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) over Pipeline Surveillance Contracts.
“Sometime in the third week of January 2024, a faceless group, the Niger Delta Forum for Truth and Justice (NDFTJ), published an article that cast aspersions on the integrity of the Executive Vice President Upstream of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) – Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan over ethnic bias in the renewal of Pipeline Surveillance Contracts.
“It went further to denigrate the Sacred Ancient throne of the Olu of Warri by maligning His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri and a company he has vested interest in, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), accusing them of incompetence in the Monday May 6, 2024 discharge of their duties.
“This tirade of accusation went on until around March 2024 and cooled off until recently when a new group, Niger Delta Stakeholders Forum (NDSF), came up with another set of lies, falsehood, blackmail, spurious allegations, and character assassination, not only against His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri, but also against Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) over Pipeline Surveillance Contracts, especially on the Trans-Forcados Pipeline (TFP).
“We realize that as critical stakeholders in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry, with approximately 33% of Nigeria’s daily production, it will be foolhardy not to put the facts before the public as they are, and separate facts from fiction, especially as the Itsekiri Nation owns at least 70% of the TFP.
“The Trans-Forcados-Pipeline (TFP) is one of the largest trunk lines in Nigeria and is often referred to as inside the Western Trunk line geographically.
“It will interest us to know that OMS is the pioneer Maritime Security Company in Nigeria and has been in operations since 2008. It was in charge of offshore facilities, FPSO, PLATFORMS, RIGS and other offshore assets.
“This was what brought the non-state actors onboard Pipeline Surveillance due to NNPCL intervention. We begin to wonder how and where the new faceless group, known as the Niger Delta Stakeholders Forum (NDSF), came about with accusations of “incompetence and non-performance made against Pipelines Infrastructures Nigerian Limited (PINL) in the handling of the Trans – Forcados Pipelines network system surveillance and protection contract,” which they also claimed “led to the termination of the $3.9M Monthly Contract by the NNPCL.”
Chief Priest Yomere Oti Roland, representative of the Olara – Aja (Eldest Man) and Council of Elders of Omadino Community, who stated that Itsekiri owns 70 per cent of the land where Trans – Forcados Pipelines network runs through, was among Itsekiri Pipeline Surveillance Stakeholders present during the media engagement.
Other pipeline surveillance stakeholders at the media engagement included: Jaluwa Community Trust Chairman, Engr. Esijimi Tenumah, Pa Engr. J. A Omagbemi, the Secretary Elders’ Council HostCom of Itsekiri chapter, Elder Otimeyin Tonukarin and the National Association of Itsekiri Graduates, NAIG, Comrade Ben Eburajolo.
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