After 16 years of dormancy, pumping of petroleum products has returned to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) deports in Aba, the Abia State capital.
According to the the Executive Director of UTM Offshore Ltd, Kennedy Azodeh, petroleum supply to the area, which had been suspended due to pipeline vandalism, resumed two week ago, with about five million liters of petroleum products successfully pumped to the deports.
He attributed the resumption of operations to the relentless efforts of his company, in collaboration with the joint military task force, police and vigilante groups, claiming that 70 percent of pipeline vandalism has been curtailed by his company so far. He assured that it would be further eliminated, if relevant laws were put in place and effectively enforcement.
Azodeh reiterated that if the pipelines are secured the way his company and five others are currently doing, regular pumping of products through the pipelines, rather than use of road tankers to transport them, would make the products readily available.
“It will also reduce the price at which the products are being sold to the public, especially as any kobo spent on transporting the products by road, which takes longer time, would be added to the final cost of the products.
