Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) has called for stronger protection of Nigeria’s critical energy infrastructure following the securing of more than $20 billion in gas sale and purchase agreements by NNPC Limited within the past year.
The company said the investments represented a major opportunity for Nigeria to expand its gas economy, stimulate industrial growth, create jobs and strengthen energy security, but warned that pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and sabotage could undermine the expected gains.
The General Manager, Community and Stakeholders Relations, PINL, Dr Akpos Mezeh, made the call at the company’s stakeholders’ engagement forum held on Saturday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Mezeh said the gas agreements covered 1.29 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day for long-term liquefied natural gas feedstock and an additional 750 million standard cubic feet per day for domestic industrial gas supply.
He said the agreements, secured through strategic partnerships involving major investors, including the Dangote Refinery, demonstrated renewed confidence in Nigeria’s gas sector.
According to him, the development could provide a significant boost to industrialisation, employment generation and economic growth if the infrastructure required to deliver the gas remained secure.
“These projects will stimulate industrial growth, improve energy security, create employment opportunities and support Nigeria’s long-term economic development,” Mezeh said.
He said the investments were coming alongside progress on major gas infrastructure projects.
The PINL executive disclosed that the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben Gas Pipeline had reached 98 per cent completion, with final tie-in activities ongoing, while the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline had attained 94 per cent completion.
He also cited the commissioning of the ANOH Gas Processing Plant as another development strengthening Nigeria’s domestic gas infrastructure.
Mezeh warned that the economic benefits of the projects could be undermined if pipelines remained vulnerable to vandalism and other forms of sabotage.
“For us at PINL, this project carries a very important message: world-class energy infrastructure can only thrive where pipelines are secure, communities are peaceful, and stakeholders work together,” he said.
He urged traditional rulers, community leaders, youths and women to work with security agencies and pipeline operators to prevent attacks on critical infrastructure.
Mezeh said community participation was particularly important because residents were often the first to notice suspicious activities around pipeline corridors.
“Pipeline security remains a shared responsibility,” he stressed.
He disclosed that operations along the Trans Niger Pipeline and Eastern Gas Network corridor were largely uninterrupted during the past month due to collaboration among security agencies, contractors and host communities.
However, he said incidents of sabotage, attempted vandalism and equipment failures were recorded in some operational areas.
According to him, prompt interventions led to the repair of affected facilities, while suspects linked to some incidents had been arrested and investigations were ongoing.
Mezeh said the development of Nigeria’s gas economy could have a direct impact on host communities through employment, business opportunities and improved energy supply.
He urged youths in host communities to take advantage of opportunities created by the expanding energy sector rather than engaging in activities that could damage critical infrastructure.
He disclosed that PINL would continue to expand its youth and women empowerment initiatives, skills acquisition programmes, entrepreneurship support and scholarship schemes in host communities.
The company also announced that its scholarship programme had been approved as an annual intervention for students from host communities for the duration of its contract with the Federal Government.
Mezeh said the decision followed the success of the maiden scholarship programme and formed part of PINL’s commitment to education and youth development.
He also announced that the company’s stakeholders’ engagement forum would henceforth be held every two months to allow sufficient time for the implementation and monitoring of resolutions reached at the meetings.
Mezeh expressed optimism that sustained collaboration among PINL, host communities and security agencies would help create a stable environment for investment in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
He urged stakeholders to reject pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft, saying the protection of energy infrastructure was ultimately linked to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.
“Let us continue to reject pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and all forms of sabotage, while working together to build peaceful communities, attract investment, create jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s economy,” he said.
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