chairman of Emohua local government area, Dr Chidi Lloyd has accused officials of multinational companies of aiding oil bunkering activities in the local government area.
The council chairman, stated this when he led a combined team of security personnel to discover new illegal petroleum refining sites in Egbeda community in Emohua LGA on Wednesday.
According to him, operators of illegal artisanal petroleum refineries cannot have access to unrefined products without the collaboration of key officials of the pipeline operating and servicing companies.
He said operators of illegal artisanal petroleoum refineries can only know when there is pressure in a pipeline with the assistance of key officials of the operating company or the pipeline serving company.
Dr. Lloyd also accused petroleum marketers and tanker drivers of promoting illegal oil bunkering activities by engaging in the transportation and distribution of illegally refined petroleum products from the oil thieves.
He noted that the union have not been able to caution their members from lifting criminally refined petroleum products from the illegal artisanal.
He described the silence of shell petroleum development company (SPDC) and other multinationals over the ongoing war against illegal oil bunkering activities in Rivers State as a direct indictment on the companies
” Up till now, nothing has been heard from Shell and other multinationals regarding this illegal oil bunkering activities. Does it mean that they are not aware of what’s been happening in the state,” he said.
“Since the marching order from the governor to the council chairmen, we have not heard anything from the operators of the pipelines that were being vandalized by these illegal artisanal petroleum refiners, not even a word of commendation to the governor and the council chairmen,” he added.
He however commended the governor of Rivers State, H.E Nyesom Ezenwo Wike for championing the fight against soot pandemic in the state through the marching order given to local government council chairmen.
