NNPC shuts three refineries over vandalism

Cautions against panic buying of fuel at Yuletide

ALL the three refineries in the country have been shut down by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) following the destruction of its major pipelines by suspected vandals.

And to prevent further damage to the facilities, the corporation is seeking the urgent intervention of the authorities of the Nigerian Army towards the stepping-up of surveillance on major pipelines conveying crude oil to the refineries.

NNPC Group Managing Director, Austen Oniwon, who took the plight of the corporation concerning the activities of vandals to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, in Abuja on Tuesday, urged the Army to partner with the corporation to stem the recurring damage of oil pipelines by vandals. He said the development had impacted negatively on the operations of the country’s refineries.

Oniwon, who led top management of the NNPC to the Nigerian Army headquarters in Abuja, implored the Army chief to particularly deploy his men to step up surveillance on the crude pipeline from Bonny to Port Harcourt Refinery and from the Escravos pipeline to Warri and Kaduna refineries, saying the plants had been shut down temporarily because all the pipelines had been vandalised.

“The rate of the crude pipeline vandalism from Bonny to Port Harcourt Refinery and from Escravos to Warri and Kaduna Refineries is alarming and I wish to request the Army to concentrate on these pipelines as they are critical to our operations,” Oniwon said.

Ihejirika assured of the Army’s readiness to support the NNPC in curtailing the activities of vandals on oil pipelines and promised that a dedicated Army team would be assigned to monitor the two pipelines that are central to the operations of the three refineries.
The corporation has also assured the public that it had established filling stations across the country to foster uniformity in prices of products.

NNPC Group General Manager (Public Affairs), Dr. Levi Ajuonuma told The Guardian in Abuja yesterday that Nigeria fuel stock can last for another 40 days and appealed to Nigerians not to engage in panic buying as the Yuletide approaches.

He said: “I want to assure all Nigerians that we have well over 40 days sufficiency of petrol. Therefore, there is no need for any Nigerian to engage in panic buying during or after the Yuletide period. Not only that, the acquisition of filling stations across the 36 states of the federation, including Abuja is to ensure that the price of products remain the same all over the country. Our filling stations dispense products with accurate meters to ensure this.”

Source:http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/