Nigeria’s crude oil production to increase next week – Kyari, NNPC boss
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari , has given indication that NNPCL will resume pumping of crude oil through its pipelines assets within the next one week.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari said this during a summit organised by the
Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.
He said that the Forcados Oil Pipeline System, which is the second largest pipeline network in the oil-producing region, after the Bonny Oil Pipeline System in the eastern Niger Delta had been shut for months due to the activities of vandals.
Some international oil companies operating in the western Niger Delta pump oil to the Forcados Oil Terminal for exports.
However, with the closure of the export terminal for repairs, about 20 oil fields had been shut-in.
Speaking at the event, Kyari said that through the support provided by the federal government, the country is making huge success in the fight against crude oil thieves and pipeline vandals.
He said the activities of vandals, if left unchecked would destroy the oil and gas industry and ultimately frustrate the NNPC’s mandate of guaranteeing energy security for Nigerians.
He said, “The government security agencies in partnership with NNPC and other companies are on the table today because if we don’t arrest pipeline vandalism, we will have no industry.
“And more than anything else, it will completely question any possibility of energy security for our country. For NNPC, we are by law required to be the guarantor of energy security for this country. This is very broad, very tough and very demanding. It means that we must supply energy to this country in all its forms.
“And until we arrest the current situation of theft and vandals action, it’s very difficult to take the next step. I am glad to share with you today that monumental progress have been achieved and I can tell you that in the next couple of days maximum a week, our pipelines assets will come back on stream.
“This will no doubt provide the resources that we need to go back to work to reinvest and also provide resources for our country so that other infrastructure development in our country can be delivered.”
Kyari called for the support of all stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to stop the issue of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
For those involved in this criminality, the NNPC Boss said that no one arrested will go unpunished.
He alleged that many of the illegal pipelines connection through which crude oil is being stolen were done with the connivance of the communities, security agencies and some oil workers.
Kyari added, “This is clearly an area that requires all of us. And whoever, anywhere, whether in NNPC, regulators, security agencies or wherever you are and whoever you are working for, as long as we know such people, please report at the portal because it is the enemy of all of us.
“Many of the connections that you have seen could not have been delivered except with the involvements of professional, it’s not possible. They are in our midst, the ones we know, we must put them on the table and that is what we are doing. We will spare no one in this action so that ultimately we can get back our assets.
“I am happy with the support we are getting from government security agencies and it is working. Also the involvements of private security are working and it has helped us.
“Many of the discoveries we made today could not have been possible without local knowledge and supporting the people who have been used to do so much and are used by criminals to do some of these things with very little things that they give them. Now, they are involved in protecting these assets and we are proud of these interventions.”
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