Pipeline Surveillance Firm Restates Commitment to Halting Oil Theft

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

The management of a Niger Delta pipeline surveillance company, Zane Energy Nigeria Limited, has restated its commitment to ensuring the stamping out of crude oil theft particularly in its operational area.

The firm said that it was not unaware of “sponsored blackmail” in certain quarters, but stressed that it would not be distracted from the task of sustaining the peace within the Isoko and Urhobo axis in Delta State.

Secretary of the pipeline security firm, Mr. Oruma Oghenetega,  in a statement, denounced allegations by the Coalition of Urhobo and Isoko ex-agitators of breach of contractual terms.

The aforementioned group had accused Zane Energy of implementing disparity in remunerations of ex-agitators, claiming that the company was owned by the immediate past Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

However, Oghenetega in the press statement titled, “Re-Suppression of NNPCL Pipeline Surveillance Slots”, described the allegations as “tragic lies and concocted stories” by the group.

He said: “The call by the group for the contract to be revoked is tantamount to taking politics disingenuously too far.”

The statement said, inter alia: “Coming at the twilight of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, when the atmosphere was dominated more by politics with little having changed even now, the pipeline surveillance contract will always be the attraction of groups that see the initiative as just an avenue for making money without commensurate attention to the task in hand.

“This is where the sad call by the Urhobo and Isoko ex-agitators’ group for the contract to be revoked belongs. But it is politics taken disingenuously too far.

“It has become imperative for our organisation to put the facts out given that members of the group are motivated more by politics and their political sponsors.”

The company secretary further said that  the  group was ignorant of the various operational platforms of the surveillance when it alleged that Zane Energy has disparity in the remuneration of ex-agitators. 

“While our organisation’s area of operation in Urhobo and Isoko axis is mainly in the upland area, others operate mainly in the creeks and other logistically more challenging wet lands.

“Invariably, ours is in less challenging terrains in the upland. What they do not know is that this difference in operational terrain was factored in at the point of awarding the contract.

“Contrary to the false allegation by the group that this has brought ‘so much hardship and restiveness to Urhobo and lsoko land’, our area of operation has remained peaceful with absolutely no incident of pipeline breach or vandalism since the exercise began. This is because we have remained faithful to the terms of the contract and paid our operatives as and when due.

“The false allusion that our organisation is owned by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, which the group repeatedly used to anchor their call for the surveillance contract to be revoked, betrays the true status and drive of leadership of the group.

“The former Deputy Senate President does not own our company. Apparently, the call patently revealed the fact that the group is being sponsored by persons and groups angling for the contract and decided to tie Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s name to give vent to their scheme.”

Nonetheless, Oghenetega noted that Zane Energy remained committed to the “spirit and terms of obligations as embedded in the contract, to wit protect our country’s national asset by preventing crude oil theft. As we diligently undertake the task, we will continue to review and upgrade the operational environment and remuneration of our personnel.

“We urge all ex-agitators to be mindful of the machinations of unscrupulous persons who see in the surveillance contract just a means of getting money but without the capacity to deliver on the prime objectives of the initiative.

“In our organisation, we are proud of our record where there has been no incident since we began our operations. We remain firmly committed to ensuring that crude oil theft remains a thing of the past in our operational area.”