CURRENT OIL AND GAS SECTOR EVENTS OF MARINE CRAFT ACCIDENT AND PIPELINE VANDALISM IN NIGERIA

Five passengers had died during an road accident along the River known in Bayelsa state of Nigeria, the accident occurred between Angiama and Okpoma communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government of the state, when a marine Craft in which some oil and gas task force workers were travelling ran into a speed Boat resulting in death of some of the passengers.

The Police Public Relation officer of the Bayelsa state police command, MR. ASSINI BUTWAT confronts the incident. According to the Police Relation Officer who observed the incident identified each of the Craft by saying that the one belonging to the Okpoma Community, the other belonging to Oil and gas and the one with a commercial old diver comprises five persons involving in the accident.

In the same wing a marine craft convene somebody through Casmir escorting some persons capsized at Abroma, Rivers State across a filling station in a Multi-national oil company at the known River killing one person. Some riffles including Machine guns were lost and well known divers in the  area were contracted for the search of the missing military weapons in the river. They also died in the process of the search for the military lost weapons.

Also the National Oil Explore Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) have called for concentrated efforts by Civil Society Organizations to stem the tide of pipeline vandalism for a safe of violent in the Niger –Delta region. The Director General of NOESDRA SIR PETER IDAHU made the call by the delegation of the African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development visited the agency in Abuja. According to SIR PETER IDAHU, efforts by the federal government in restoring Niger-Delta region should be emulated by chief stakeholders to effective awareness creation. According to SIR PETER IDAHU who said that one of the major occurrence problem in the area is the vandalism of oil pipe lines, and also they are creating an avenue for the oil companies to hide under. If the Pipe lines are not caused by their own faults; they are more relaxed, but if it is by the equipment failure or coercion, they host to queuing because of the liabilities they hold to pay as a result of the damages they caused. So, they have done a very good meeting. So we expect to consolidate the collaboration in the future and even to add more civil society groups so that it would be more effective in the long run.

 The Regime of NOSDRA also noted that the agency and the federal government will continue to work with the interested partners and the PINA OF OGONI LAND to achieve a friendlier environment. The executive Director for the African Centre for leadership Strategy and Development DR. OTIBE IBUZO said that it became necessary for the centre to explore areas of mutual interest with NOSDRA in order to find a lasting solution in the problem of Niger –Delta People. According to DR. OTIBE IBUZO who said that NOSDRA is the key government regulatory agency in the oil and gas sector; they  are particularly happy by the way they receive NOSDRA to see how they can collaborate to ensure that the clean up exercise is successful especially how the Niger-Delta release key to makes sure government does its work of regulation to prevent  reoccurrence to what had led to the clean up.

DR. OTIBE IBUZO also expressed the total commitment of cost in the Niger-Delta in the area and urged the federal government to work seriously to meet the desire of the people in the area.

NEWS REPORTER: ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

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