Ijaw movement reveals why crude oil will hit 2mbpd soon

…As MOSIEND warns against pipeline protection contractors without community roots

Community sources along oil pipeline routes think the Federal Government has hit on a good idea with the pipeline protection contract system, but said government must watch out.

The leadership of the Movement for the Survival of Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND) says the contractors that have roots in communities through the right youths are the reason why Nigeria has moved from 1.3million barrels of oil per day (mbpd) in July 2024 to 1.8mbpd in November.
The president of MOSIEND, Kennedy Tonjo West, while answering questions in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, after a press briefing, said Nigeria would likely hit 2mbpd soon if the FG continued to engage the right companies with the right roots in communities.
West urged the FG to do the right for oil to flow in the oil region, saying the 32-year-old Movement was knowledgeable enough to give tips to the FG on oil and communities. He said Nigerians witnessed when the trans national pipeline delivering crude to Bonny for export was shut down for many months due to massive attacks.
The resort to pipeline protection contract system, he said, has turned the situation around due to the collaboration with the military and the communities.
West warned that fighting crude oil theft the wrong way could set the communities ablaze but that using the right people and the right youths in communities would help Nigeria move higher and higher in oil production.
He advised the contractors including Tantita which recently accused a section of the military of complicity to rather deepen their community engagement mechanism, collaboration, and scale up their community relations and relationship with the military to achieve better results.
West said: “Security contract system has convinced communities to see oil pipelines as theirs. Community people now cooperate because the locals now enjoy the involvement of pipelines protection contractors because of their recognition of the communities.”
Addressing the press, MOSIEND stated through their spokesman, Charles Omosuku lamented decades of pipeline vandalization, oil theft, and illegal bunkering and the significant threats it had posed to Nigeria’s economy and to the coastal livelihoods of millions in the oil-producing communities.

He admitted that the scourge has so far plagued the oil industry resulting in significant revenue loss, environmental degradation, and insecurity within oil-producing Communities.

“These challenges have threatened the foundation of our heavily oil-dependent economy by draining our revenue, hindering development and contributing to hybrid environmental and health
challenges.”
He said MOSIEND has stepped out to commend the proactive measures and strategic interventions implemented by Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and other partners, saying it has led to a remarkable turnaround in Nigeria’s fortunes. He commended the FG for making it possible.

He said: “Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, a Nigerian business concern, has been innovative in strategic and operational excellence in pipeline surveillance and management. Their dedication to building a sustainable Pipeline security framework is highly commendable.”

He heaped the successes on what he called PINL’s approach, leveraging on top-notch technology and grassroots engagement, saying this has recorded uninterrupted operations in the way of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) due to near-zero infraction.

He said the strategy of integration of local stakeholders in monitoring and protecting pipeline infrastructure has provided employment opportunities, empowered communities, and built trust. “This model demonstrates the effectiveness of community-driven solutions in addressing national challenges while fostering peaceful coexistence.”

He said communities deserved commendation in the successes but said for Nigeria to wax stringer and gain more crude mileages, the FG must identify companies that are doing very well especially with community engagement success stories to do more. “PINL’s collaboration with host communities has seen interventions such as provision of portable water, relief materials to flood affected communities in Imo, Rivers and Bayelsa, medical outreach and skills acquisition as a means of youth engagement and sustainable economic empowerment, these actions have fostered a safer environment in oil-producing areas, reducing unrest and fostering stability.

“The partnership of PINL and the military in the fight against oil theft and sundry vices has played an indispensable role in safeguarding Nigeria’s critical oil infrastructure. The unwavering commitment to security challenges, intelligence gathering, and rapid response to threats has significantly improved the safety of oil installations and deterred criminal activities.

“The presence of the PINL and the military taskforce in the creeks and waterways of the Niger Delta ensures that the menace of illegal bunkering and oil theft is curtailed to the barest minimum if not completely eradicated.

“Through advanced surveillance technologies, community engagement, and operational efficiency, PINL has curtailed to a large extent, cases of pipeline vandalisation and illegal bunkering in Rivers, Abia and Imo States.

“The collaboration of the military, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and PINL in the reinvigorated onslaught against illegal bunkering has yielded laudable results and it exemplifies the benefits of commitment of purpose, transparency, accountability, and should be sustained.”

MOSIEND reaffirmed their commitment to successes in oil protection and said the success story demonstrates the potential for transformation when public, private, and community actors work together in unity and a testament to what can be achieved through collective action, dedication, and trust.