The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Monday gave reasons for non-pumping of petroleum products through System 2B Pipelines Network by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The South-West Chairman of NUPENG, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that NNPC was recording a huge financial loss when pumping fuel through the network due to the activities of vandals.
NAN reports that System 2B Pipelines Network is the pumping of petroleum products from Atlas Cove in Lagos Island to Ejigbo to Mosinmi in Ogun to Ibadan to Ore in Ondo State and Ilorin in Kwara.
Since April, the corporation had stopped pumping petroleum products through the network thereby making use of private depots in Apapa to distribute its products.
“NNPC said that for so many years it has been pumping fuel through the network, it has not made any profit.
“If NNPC pumps five million litres of petrol in the night, it will be accosted on its way to its depots before getting to their destination.
“They called on all the Area Managers in all their NNPC depots to sign bond that they will account for all litres of fuel pump into their depots but they said no.
“So, in the alternative, NNPC now have made arrangements with private tank farm owners in Apapa,’’ Korodo said.
According to him, with this new arrangements, NNPC now brings its vessels to private tank farm owners, drops the products in their care and collect money after selling.
He said that now that the corporation (NNPC) had made these arrangements, it had led to no vandalism of pipelines because there was nothing to vandalise.
“The exact quantities given to tank farms are the exact amount of money returned to NNPC.
“So, government instead of losing as they used to do in the past, they are gaining now.
“Logically, I look at it and discovered that there are man-made blunders in the System 2B Pipelines Network because if the corporation pumps five million litres, it will be accosted on the road,’’ Korodo said.
The NUPENG chairman advised the Federal Government to sell the pipelines network, adding that retaining the asset without being used, was a big loss. (NAN)