PIPELINE VANDALISM: IPMAN THREATENS STRIKE

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Thursday alerted  members of the public of another round of hardship arising from petrol scarcity following the activities of vandals along the Ogbomoso-Ilorin oil pipelines.

The IPMAN observation is coming just as members of the Odua, a local security group engaged to protect oil pipelines in Ogbomoso, withdrew their services in protest against alleged complicity of security agents in  vandalising the pipelines. 

The Chairman of the Kwara chapter of IPMAN, Mr Rasheed Olopade, disclosed this to newsmen in IIorin after inspecting damaged pipelines along IIorin-Ogbomosho road on Thursday.

He said the association was set to withdraw the services of the vigilance group hired by the association.

Olopade expressed sadness that the NNPC lines were no longer safe because vandals in Ogbomoso now operated freely on the pipelines.   

 “In fact, there was official communication on Wednesday from NNPC/PPMC that if  activities of vandals continued on the lines.

“There is  the likelihood that the oil corporation would stop pushing products to Ilorin and the implication is that the whole depot will be subjected to non-availability of PMS (petrol),” he said.  “if the line is not sustained, definately PPMC cannot be wasting fuel in the name of pumping to Ilorin because it will not get there because the vandals would have done their atrocities,”,he said

He said IPMAN engaged the services of the local security men to compliment efforts of government security agencies who had the constitutional mandate to do the job when it realised that they could not do the job alone.

“They are the ones sustaining our pipelines, they are the ones who made it possible for us not to sell petrol at the official pump price during the last Yuletide period in Ilorin which had never happened during the previous years.”

He warned that motorists and other users of petrol would be subjected to another round of hardship that might arise from an eminent fuel crisis in the state.

“Except the government and key stakeholders urgently intervened in the matter, a serious crisis is looming.”      (NAN).