Niger Delta – Page 2

van_dal_ism — Pipeline attacks and violence have risen in the southern swampland of Africa’s biggest oil exporter since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.

YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) – A group that claimed responsibility for a major attack on a pipeline in Nigeria’s oil-producing Delta region said it will carry out more strikes, just days after President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to crack down on “vandals and saboteurs”.

The Niger Delta Avengers has said it carried out the attack on a Shell underwater pipeline in February which interrupted oil flows and forced the company to shut down its 250,000 barrel-a-day Forcados export terminal for weeks.

Pipeline attacks and violence have risen in the southern swampland of Africa’s biggest oil exporter since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.

Last week Buhari, a former military ruler, said the government would crack down on pipeline saboteurs.. And on Sunday the vice president’s office issued a statement that said a permanent pipeline security force was being considered.

“We are not deterred by such threats as we are highly spirited and shall continue blowing up pipelines until the Niger Delta people are no longer marginalized by the Nigerian actors,” said the Niger Delta Avengers in a statement.

The Delta’s oil provides 70 percent of state income in Africa’s biggest economy but, like much of Nigeria, the region has seen little development which has prompted militants to demand a greater share of crude revenues.

Niger Delta Avengers, unheard of before the Forcados attack, say they want to ensure that local people enjoy a quality of life which reflects the region’s contribution to the national purse.

The group said in its statement: “We take no pleasure in claiming innocent lives hence our struggle is geared toward attacking the oil installations in our region and not the people. And we shall stop at nothing until our goal is achieved.”

Buhari has extended a multi-million dollar amnesty signed with militants in 2009 but upset them by ending generous pipeline protection contracts.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited the damaged Forcados terminal on Friday.

Sources have said repair work on the pipeline feeding Forcados crude oil to the export terminal is expected to take until June. But the vice president’s statement said repair work was expected to end in May.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, second left, talks with Chinese officials during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, April 13, 2016.

BEIJING (Reuters) – Nigeria will crack down on groups responsible for recent pipeline attacks in the oil-producing Delta region, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday.

Pipeline attacks and violence have been on the rise in the southern swampland since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.

“We will deal with them the way we dealt with Boko Haram,” Buhari said during a visit to China, referring to jihadists who have been waging an insurgency to set up an Islamic state in the north.

The army has recaptured much of the territory Boko Haram had held since Buhari took office in May 2015, though the group still stages suicide bombings.

“I hope this message will reach the vandals and saboteurs who are blowing up pipelines and installations,” he said.

Last month gunmen blew up an oil pipeline belonging to Italy’s ENI in the Delta, a region which provides much of Nigeria’s oil production, killing three workers, according to officials.

In February militants staged a sophisticated underwater attack on a Shell pipeline, shutting down the 250,000 barrel-a-day Forcados export terminal.

Buhari has extended a multi-million dollar amnesty signed with militants in 2009, but he has upset them by ending generous pipeline protection contracts.

The militants, like other Delta residents, demand a greater share of oil revenues.

PATIENCE

Addressing Nigerians living in China, Buhari also asked for patience for his plans to end endemic graft and to diversify the oil economy.

The former military ruler was elected last year on a ticket to “fix” a country stricken by mismanagement. His government has come under fire for fuel shortages and a lack of action as the 2016 budget has been held up by wrangling with parliament.

“We hear proposals for short cuts or quick wins,” he said. “However, all we need to do is look at our history to know that there are no quick wins or short cuts in fixing Nigeria.”

A slump in oil revenues has whacked public finances in Africa’s biggest economy. Buhari has also faced criticism for rejecting a devaluation of the naira, which analysts have said deters investment.

“Clearly, our vision of a diversified and inclusive economy will not be achieved overnight,” he said. “It will be a long, and in some cases, painful journey.”

Nigeria’s Buhari vows crackdown after pipeline attacks in Delta

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