Warri – based industry player in the downstream and midstream sectors of the oil and gas sector, Mr. Erefoluwa Keka, has described the call by Arewa Youths Assembly for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, not to award pipelines’ surveillance contract to Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo and other competent indigenous investors from the state as economic sabotage.
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Keka stated last night during a telephone chat that members of Arewa Youths Assembly led by one Abdulsaalaam Mohammed – Kazeem, “should be thoroughly investigated because it makes no sense to call on the management of the NNPC to stop the award of pipelines’ surveillance contract to community leaders in the riverine and rural areas of Delta State, that have handled such projects in the past with huge positive result. I am particularly shocked by the statement of Abdulsalami Mohammed – Kazeem, considering the fact that the country’s daily production of crude oil has plummeted to an abysmally low 1.417 million barrels (short of OPEC production quota) due to pipeline vandalism/crude oil theft.”
He asked : ” What really is the interest of Arewa Youths Assembly as regards competent locals keeping close watch on oil and gas pipelines that pass through their communities, when same group had not offered the necessary intelligence to the Nigerian military, to stop banditry and terrorism in the Northern part of the country?”
Keka, advised the CEO of NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari, to ignore, “the distractive rant by Mohammed – Kazeem’s group and go ahead with award of the pipelines’ surveillance contract to Tompolo. I strongly believe, with the support of Chief Ayirimi Emami, who has been a consistent voice against crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, with the requisite competence and experience, pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft, would be brought to ground zero.”
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