A CRITICAL INVESTIGATION INTO PIPELINE VANDALISM IN NIGER DELTA

A CRITICAL INVESTIGATION INTO PIPELINE VANDALISM IN NIGER DELTA

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Over the course of its history, the petroleum sector in Nigeria, which has the bulk of its establishments located inside the Niger Delta Region, has been faced with two issues that have sapped its resources. The predominance of insurgency and acts of vandalism against oil pipelines in the Niger Delta are the sources of the difficulties. The former seems to have greatly worsened in both occurrence and impact after the amnesty deal that was reached in 2009 (Okoli, 2013), whilst the latter appears to have seen a dramatic decline in severity. Vandalism committed against oil and gas pipeline assets is still the single most significant obstacle that our business must overcome. (2010), Barkindo was appointed as the General Managing Director of the NNPC.

According to Omofonmwan and Odia, a total of 16,083 pipeline breaks have been recorded within the past 10 years. He goes on to say that while 398 pipeline breaks, which account for 2.4 percent of the total number of cases, were caused by ruptures, the activities of unpatriotic vandals accounted for 15, 685 breaks, which translated into approximately 97.5 percent of the total number of cases (Omofonmwan and Odia 2019). Indeed, there has been an increase in the amount of vandalism committed against oil pipelines in Nigeria. This is especially true given the central role that oil plays in both the government and the economy of Nigeria. Indeed, oil serves as the primary driver of the Nigerian economy, and the nation places a significant amount of importance on the cash generated from petroleum. For example, oil accounts for twenty percent of the country's gross domestic product and sixty-five percent of its budgetary income (CIA, 2007). According to the annual report published by the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) in 2013, Nigeria suffered a total loss of 10.9 billion US Dollars due to the theft of oil between the years 2009 and 2011. (NEITI, 2013; Onoja, 2013). This loss highlights the severity of vandalism as a genuine issue facing the oil sector in Nigeria.

Pipelines, which continue to be one of the most dependable and best ways of transferring petroleum products, are periodically damaged by actions taken by a third party. This damage is the single most significant factor that led to the collapse of pipelines throughout history. The acts of vandalism and terrorist attacks are the primary causes of damage in the majority of developing countries across the world, including Nigeria. In Nigeria, the Petroleum Pipeline Marketing Company, which is an arm of the government, as well as community leaders, police officers, and indigenes, work together to provide surveillance and monitor the pipelines. In addition to this, regular aerial monitoring of the most important parts of the pipelines is carried out. In spite of all of these security precautions, there has been an increase in the vandalism of petroleum pipelines. Even a single occurrence has the potential to be catastrophic, leading to the loss of life and property valued at millions of dollars. According to the Pipelines Products Marketing Company (PPMC), which is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria has a total network of oil pipelines that spans 5,001 kilometres. This network is comprised of 4,315 kilometres of multiproduct pipelines and 666 kilometres of crude-oil pipelines. These pipelines cut across the country and connect the refineries at Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Warri, the off-shore terminals at Escravos and Bonny, and the four jetties at Okrika, Atlas Cove, Warri, and Calabar. There are twenty-two petroleum storage depots strategically located across the country (Sule, 2004). When used in this context, the term "pipeline vandalism" refers to illegal or unauthorised activities that involve the destruction of oil pipelines in order to disrupt supply or the puncturing of oil pipelines in order to syphon crude oil or its refined products in order to appropriate it for personal use or for sale on the black market or through any other outlet. Pipeline vandalism can also refer to activities that involve the theft of crude oil or its refined products in order to sell them on the black market or through any other outlet. It encompasses activities such as oil bunkering, the destruction of oil pipelines in order to steal fuel, the removal of fuel from ruptured oil pipes, and the commission of oil terrorism on purpose. In Nigeria, acts of vandalism committed against pipelines are typically considered to be acts of sabotage. Under the Petroleum Act, it is considered a crime punishable by death, and the Criminal Justice Decree of 1975 (miscellaneous provisions) governs its prosecution and punishment (Okoko 2018). In recent years, the act of vandalizing pipelines has resulted in a fire disaster, which in turn has caused major damage to the ecosystem of the host communities, as well as oil leakage and environmental contamination, the destruction of farmlands and houses, and the loss of life. The goal of this work on the project is to put poverty into its appropriate context in relation to the explosion caused by vandalism of a pipeline and human safety. This is investigated by determining the causes, patterns, and dimensions of pipeline vandalism as well as the influence it has on human safety.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

When oil was first struck in Oloibiri in 1956, in present day Bayelsa State,

Nigerians, especially people from the oil-bearing communities of the Niger Delta were  filled with joy and expectations of the potentials of oil wealth improving their living  conditions. After over 59 years of oil production activities, these aspirations and  expectations have remained largely unmet and the oil-bearing communities continue to suffer the harsh impacts of oil exploration and exploitation. In this wise, scholars have argued that endowment with enormous oil and gas resources can be a blessing or curse

(Stiglitz, Sachs and Warner 2001, Watts 2004; Stiglitz, 2005; Karl, 2005; Mahler, 2010; Obi, 2010; Ezirim, 2010).however, with time the issue of pipeline vandalism came into light and became a national issue, The major challenges of pipeline vandalism are poor policing and protection of pipeline infrastructure, political/militant agitation and endemic corruption. However, the fundamental issues are the attendant consequences of pipeline vandalism such as decline in Crude Oil revenue, scarcity of PMS and decline in

electricity generation which all affects business activities in Nigeria. The study will investigate these problems and come up with some policy recommendations. Even though, there have been several studies (such as those of Vidal, 2011, Ogbeni, 2012 & Ugwuanyi, 2013) conducted at different times on the impact of pipeline vandalism on the growth of Nigeria’s economy

1.3    AIM AND OBJECTIVES

This project is aimed at:

1. Investigating the pipeline vandalism at Abiteye, Warri South West, Delta  State. – its problem and prospect.
2. The objective is to proffer solution to this inhuman degradation of the environment, health and air.

1.4    SCOPE AND LIMITATION

This project work will cover the comprehensive analysis of pipeline vandalism at Abiteye in Warri  South West  LGA of Delta  State, its problem and prospect and also seek to proffer some possible solution to this menace.

This project work will basically be limited to the pipeline vandalism at Warri South West LGA of  Delta State.

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