In this post we will be looking at Crude and Oil theft in Nigeria. the Oil Pipeline Vandalism, causes and consequence of pipeline vandalism in Niger Delta Nigeria.
INTRODUCTION
The frequency of tragic pipeline incidents in Nigeria has drawn attention from around the world. This negative impact on people and the environment, which includes ongoing human and animal deaths, pollution of the water and air, soil contamination, eradication of the ecosystem (flora and fauna), destruction of property and infrastructure, and loss of crude oil and refined products, is what has garnered this attention on a global scale. Using the analogy of a human vein to describe the important role that pipelines play, stated that “Pipelines serve like veins helping to provide life-necessities like natural gas or water and to remove life wastes like sewage”.
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Additionally, they are thought of as the most favorable way to transport large amounts of gas or fluid. Nigeria’s vast oil output and oil potential have resulted in oil vandalism, militancy, inadvertent spills related to oil transportation, ecological harm, and more. Under these circumstances, there is a greater chance that a tragedy will occur if appropriate steps are not taken to reduce the risks associated with the oil crisis. Significant problems could result from this, especially in the areas where oil is produced. As the significance of petroleum resources as a substantial source of economic advantages became increasingly obvious, the resource regions were more susceptible to a series of military attacks and regional pressure. Oil-related issues are particularly common in Nigeria’s Niger Delta or South-South region, which is where the majority of the country’s main reserves are located.
The extraction, processing, and transportation of petroleum have resulted in ecosystem disturbance, environmental harm, and mortality in several developing countries. Oil-related problems, such as oil spills, crude oil theft, illegal refining of crude oil, accidents involving oil trucks, pipeline vandalism, and explosions, were exacerbated by the government’s inability to control the practices surrounding petroleum management. In practically every part of the world, people view these problems as the principal ones with relation to oil extraction because they endanger both human life and the environment.
A disaster is an unexpected occurrence or natural catastrophe that severely impairs the functioning of a community or civilization and, as a result, affects both human and economic activities. It is a phenomenon that results in considerable loss and tragedy, and when it happens, it can devastate people’s lives, their possessions, and their economic and cultural well-being. In addition to disastrous natural events like earthquakes, wildfires, floods, windstorms, and tsunamis, catastrophes can also be brought on by human activity, such as pipeline explosions or pipeline vandalism.
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What is Oil Pipeline Vandalism?
Oil Pipeline Vandalism is the act of drilling into the pipelines with the intent to steal the products. Pipeline vandalism refers to the willful or deliberate act of damaging petroleum pipelines with the sole aim of stealing crude oil and associated petroleum products. In the Nigerian oil & gas industry, the effects of pipeline vandalism among others include huge economic losses from pipeline & plant shutdown, environmental pollution, fire outbreaks usually resulting in loss of lives.
Scarcity & shortage of petroleum products as well as decrease in electricity supply with the attendant socio-economic problems can also be attributed to pipeline vandalism. In Nigeria petroleum and associated products are transported through extensive network of pipelines that run across different locations throughout the country from remote to populated areas.
Causes oil pipeline vandalism
The most important of causes of pipeline vandalism in the area based on community perception. Sabotage; inadequate compensation and lack of adequate security and public education are the major causes of pipeline vandalism in the area, while the minor cause is mechanical failure of oil and gas pipeline with a weighted mean. Other major causes are as follows:
- Sabotage
- Mechanical failure
- Corrosion
- Negligence from oil and gas operators
- Poor governance
- Lack of sense of belonging
- Dissatisfaction with the operations, control of resources and sharing of proceeds from oil mining in the area is one of the major motivating factors to vandalize oil pipelines.
- Poor resource management
- Inadequate compensation
- Inadequate security and lack of public education
- lack of community-based surveillance
- lack of improved
- technology involvement by oil companies
- that lack of empowerment and improved socio-economic activities
Oil pipelines vandalism has, indeed fueled criminal interests and conflict. The economic interest now overrides that of social which used to an opposition against the oppressive actors of the MNOCs and federal government. The interplay of economic and social forces has resulted in displacement of large population after the disaster that accompanies the vandalization.
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Consequence Of Pipeline Vandalism
The Niger Delta with such a frequency that between 1976 and 1990, the industry had 2,676 cases. This rose to 7,563 cases in 2004; and 9,500 cases in 2008. The loss from spills in 2006, alone was 4,992,764 barrels. The said study further revealed that MNOCs, especially SPDC have not demonstrated significant commitment to mitigate the effects of the oil spills. One of the critics of SPDC on this matter was Bopp Van Dessel, a Dutch. Van Dessel resigned in protest as the Head of the Environment study unit in SPDC in 1999. Prior to the resignation, he accused SPDC of using different standards of operations in Nigeria as compared to the practice in other parts in the world.
Where, the waste is burnt, but in Nigeria, the cleaning of crude oils is done by bucket and spade. In this process, the waste is deposited in large trench, and the sketch of land is lost forever, Human Right watch, 1999. In consequence, whenever it rains, the underground water sluices force the crude oil to the surface and poisons the earth, flora and fauna, and rivers in the region. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a Federal Government owned oil empire, reported in 2006 that the 20 MNOCs operating in the country spilled 2,500 cubic meters of oil in 400 separate incidences annually. It is, however, safe to argue that due to under reporting, the actual figure would be much higher than this conservative estimate they presented. As it we knew, after five years (i.e., 2010), the same NNPC provided graphic details of the activities of pipelines vandalization and contends that 98.5% of the ugly incidences are due to sabotage by Niger Delta militants.
This shows the dearth of record keeping in this country. The NUPRC, formerlly called (DPR) reported a different type of consequences in 2004. It stated that MNOCs operating in Niger Delta generated 90,000mtons of hazardous waste, an increase of 7.7%, from that of 2004. In spite of this size, the SPDC’s “people and Environment Annual Report” of 2005, went further to state the increase does not still include the sewage at “Edigba Sewage Treatment plant”. SPDC also admitted that it is not complying fully in some areas of the NUPRC’s regulations. Already, the issue of compliance with environmental standard is now a thorny matter between DPR, the Oil Producers Trade Section of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum.
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Oil pipelines vandalism has, indeed fueled criminal interests and conflict. The economic interest now overrides that of social which used to an opposition against the oppressive actors of the MNOCs and federal government. The interplay of economic and social forces has resulted in displacement of large population after the disaster that accompanies the vandalization.
CONCLUSION
The causes of pipeline vandalism ranged from sabotage to failure of equipment and installations. It is concluded in this study that improvement is required in the social inclusion of the locals, improvement in techniques for oil pipeline installations monitoring. This will not only improve the environmental quality of the area but will also improve the array of economic activities that can engage the locals. In realizing this the following recommendations are germane:
- The government should partner with the oil companies to improve the social life of the locals and by implication reduce the quest for oil theft in the area.
- Surveillance equipment and pipeline monitoring should be enhanced in the area, this will reduce crude oil theft, and in the case of wear and tear ruptures, the alert system can warn in real time and by implication mitigate the environmental effects of crude oil spills.
- The government and the oil companies should continue to create awareness about the dangers of crude oil theft in the area. Radio stations, town hall meetings, and television stations can be used in this regard.