Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited warns pipeline vandalism threatens $20bn gas investments

Dr. Akpos Mezeh, General Manager, Community and Stakeholders Relations at PINL, stated at a forum in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, that these investments, covering 1.29 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day for LNG and 750 million standard cubic feet per day for domestic industrial gas supply, represent a significant opportunity for Nigeria's gas economy, industrial growth, job creation, and energy security. However, he cautioned that pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, and sabotage could jeopardize these gains. Mezeh highlighted renewed confidence in Nigeria's gas sector, partly due to strategic partnerships including the Dangote Refinery, and noted progress on major gas infrastructure projects like the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben Gas Pipeline 98% complete and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline 94% complete, alongside the commissioning of the ANOH Gas Processing Plant.

He urged traditional rulers, community leaders, youths, and women to collaborate with security agencies and pipeline operators to prevent attacks, stressing that pipeline security is a shared responsibility. While operations along the Trans Niger Pipeline and Eastern Gas Network corridor have been largely uninterrupted recently due to collaboration, incidents of sabotage and att