08 November 2014, Abuja – Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources, Downstream, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has described the incessant pipeline vandalism as tragic and a national calamity.
Reacting to the recent pipeline explosion at Ijegun Oil facility, Ije Ododo in Lagos, the law maker in Abuja, on Saturday, wondered why an atmosphere of inaction and helplessness pervade Nigeria’s oil pipelines even in the face of awful threat to the economy of the country.
He said, “Every responsible country consciously puts its best at work to deliver service and when there is a shortfall in this service delivery, the citizens should naturally ask questions.
“Today, Nigerians are asking questions and equally demanding answers from those who are paid to secure our oil and gas infrastructure. Sadly, we are not getting value for the huge investments in securing our pipelines.”
Peterside also described as unacceptable, “this endless circle of defeat in the hands of these vandals “who he said continue to frustrate almost every effort, insisting that change in our attitude and approach to solving problems is inevitable if we hope to turn this ugly tide.
He said Nigerians more than ever before were demanding for responsive and accountable leadership across board, adding that time was running out and that the nation could no longer afford to do nothing concrete and wish that this nightmare would disappear one day.
The lawmaker called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to wake up and justify the billions of Naira it was collecting on pipelines security.
He warned that ordinary Nigerians were already making enough sacrifice and that any attempt to further exacerbate the prevailing hard times in the form of petroleum scarcity will not only be unfeeling but irreverent.
– The Punch
