Address issues of ageing pipelines, gas flaring – Ijaw youths, Niger Delta monarchs to FG

The President of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Worldwide, Doubra Okotete, alongside monarchs from the Niger Delta region, has urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to replace oil and gas pipelines that have been in operation for more than six decades.

They also appealed to organisations responsible for safeguarding pipelines and other petroleum installations across the Niger Delta to alert relevant authorities to the hazards associated with ageing pipelines, decommissioned wellheads and gas flaring.

They advocated preventive measures to be implemented before any adverse incidents occur.

They emphasised that pipeline protection efforts should extend beyond preventing sabotage to include infrastructure-related hazards that could negatively affect the environment and populations living in host communities.

The appeal was made during a stakeholders’ engagement forum dedicated to protecting critical pipeline infrastructure, which took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The two-day forum, held on October 9 and 10, 2026, brought together traditional rulers, youth leaders, environmental specialists, community representatives and other prominent regional figures.

Okotete noted that surveillance initiatives had proven effective in protecting oil and gas infrastructure while enabling host communities to benefit from the resources transported through the facilities under their protection.

He said, “Our appeal today is for the Federal Government, the NNPCL and the President of our great country to ensure that oil and gas pipelines that have lasted for over 60 years are replaced.”

In his address, the Eze Eberi-Ugo IX of Omuma Kingdom, Onyekachi Amaonwu, emphasised that achieving national production targets required collaborative engagement with grassroots stakeholders in host communities.

“For you to achieve these targets, there is no pipeline in Abuja; the pipelines are located right here in our communities,” Amaonwu said.

Furthermore, participants at the Bayelsa forum urged petroleum companies and relevant authorities to mitigate environmental hazards arising from deteriorating pipelines, decommissioned wellheads and persistent gas flaring.

They cautioned that these risks posed significant threats to community livelihoods and environmental integrity.

King Bubaraye Dakolo Agada IV, the monarch of Ekpetiama Kingdom, stressed that efforts to combat pipeline sabotage must be accompanied by strategies to manage risks associated with oil and gas infrastructure.

The monarch acknowledged that increased petroleum production could boost Nigeria’s revenue but cautioned that oil spills could expose host communities to prolonged environmental degradation and economic hardship.

He urged residents to actively discourage pipeline sabotage and other activities that could cause spills in their waterways and settlements.

​At the same time, he emphasised that petroleum companies and relevant authorities had a responsibility to implement preventive measures against spills resulting from ageing infrastructure.