Reps back empowering states on security of pipelines

Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday expressed support for the bill which seeks to transfer the responsibility of safeguarding the oil pipelines to the state governments.
The lawmakers expressed the view during the debate on a ‘Bill for an act to amend the oil pipelines Act Cap 7, laws of the federation 2004 to provide for the transfer of protection of oil pipelines, safety and security across the federation to the state governors and other matters connected therewith’ which scaled through second reading.
Olarotimi Makinde, sponsor of the bill, expressed concern over the spate of pipeline vandalism across the country, which, he said, has led to loss of billions of naira.
Makinde noted that since oil contributes about 90 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings and about 25 percent of the Gross Domestic Products (GDP), it was high time government prioritised the safety of what has come to be the life-wire of the nation’s existence as a fledging economy in the 21st century.
He said, “Nigeria has a very good infrastructure for the transportation of refined petroleum products which is about 5,120km pipelines network connecting 21 oil depots and 19 pump stations. Regrettably, the pipelines are not in maximum economic utilisation”.
“This is due to three main factors: (1) incessant illegal tapping by oil thieves, (2) sabotage, (3) poor management of pipeline; however, if the latter is remodeled, illegal tapping and sabotage would be tackled effectively.”
The lawmaker explained that the bill was not to usurp the powers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as contained in Section 3 of its extant Act but to enable the state governors who are the chief security officers of their various states to collaborate with the NSCDC.
In his remarks, Abdulrahman Terrab, who supported the passage of the bill, said, “We have at several times tried to protect our pipelines, but it seems all efforts to do so has proven unsuccessful.
“However, what’s most important for us now is that this is a serious problem and we need a solution. So I would urge that we pass this bill through second reading and when it gets to committee level, we can then look at whether community leaders should have roles to play via the mandate of the states.”
“They should engage them depending on what input we gather during the public hearing. Beyond that again, I believe the bill itself is of a good intention and should be supported so that we can find a lasting solution to the threatening menace of vandalism”, Terrab said.
On his part, Odebumi Segun, noted that the bill when passed into law will strengthen the nation’s economy and provide jobs for youths in various states of the federation.