Before Lagos becomes history

                   

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) grants licenses to oil companies to build and operate petroleum products' storage tank farms in Ijegun, less than two kilometers from Navy Training School, which houses the biggest military armoury in West Africa, in a deal, which experts say placed Lagos, Nigeria's commercial nerve center, on keg of gunpowder. LEGENDARY ENERGY JOURNALIST, Adeola Yusuf reports.

Lagos map

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State

An epithet written on the mass grave of not less 100 people who were burnt to death on May 15, 2008 appears boldly on a mausoleum at the junction of Ijegun to welcome any visitor to the sleepy town. This faded green-and-white painted plaque reads: “Here lies the body of victims of the Ijegun fire outbreak which occurred on Thursday, May 15, 2008. May your innocent lives, including children scampering for safety, perished in the pipeline fire outbreak, rest in perfect peace.” Ijegun has arguably witnessed high rate of pipeline fire/explosion in Nigeria but the hapless town may be in for the mother of all disasters.

Fuel storage tank farms are springing up in this town, less two kilometres from Naval Training School, Satellite Town in Lagos, which house the biggest military armory in the entire West Africa sub-region.
Findings by Daily Independent revealed that the fuel storage facilities, built by Star downstream company have begun operation, while Deepwater, another downstream oil company has started construction of its tank farms at the site.
Seven other companies who have allegedly been licensed by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) will deploy construction engineers to site.
The statistics by Daily Independent shows that more than 2, 200 people have been killed by pipeline fire since 2000 in Nigeria, the world's eighth largest oil exporter and Africa's top producer.

Sitting on keg of gun powder

Abdullahi Sobola PhD, a chemical engineer and lecturer at the Lagos State University told Daily Independent that both the tank farm and the armory storage facilities for products have high chemical compositions.

“Although I do not know the grade of explosive at the armory, all we know is that explosives just like petroleum products have high combustion rate due to their high level of chemical compositions. It may be very wrong to site the two within close proximity,” he said.

This and other anomalies are usually detected and avoided through the globally accepted Environmental Impact Assessment (IEA).

The purpose of the assessment is, according to Sobola, to ensure that decision makers consider the ensuing environmental impacts when deciding whether to proceed with a project.

“The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines an environmental impact assessment as "the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made."

“EIAs are unique in that they do not require adherence to a predetermined environmental outcome, but rather they require decision ­makers to account for environmental values in their decisions and to justify those decisions in light of detailed environmental studies and public comments on the potential environmental impacts of the proposal,” he said.

The chemical scientist said: “EIAs began to be used in the 1960s as part of a rational decision making process. It involved a technical evaluation that would lead to objective decision making. EIA was made legislation in the US in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 1969.

“It has since evolved as it has been used increasingly in many countries around the world. As per Jay et al.(2006), EIA as it is practiced today, is being used as a decision aiding tool rather than decision making tool. There is growing dissent on the use of EIA as its influence on development decisions is limited and there is a view it is falling short of its full potential.There is a need for stronger foundation of EIA practice through training for practitioners, guidance on EIA practice and continuing research.”

Safety, security at risk 

Commodore Richard Okeke, a retired Commodore of the Nigerian Navy disclosed while fielding questions from Daily Independent near his Satellite Town home that the safety and security of people around the area within 40 kilometers-range are at great risk.

The Security expert who doubled as the Chairman, Security committee for Satellite Town Central Residents Association (STCRA) said while addressing newsmen at the federal civil servants club, Satellite Town that five (5) out of twenty (20) Local government in Lagos-Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Apapa, Alimosho, Amuwo odofin, Oshodi Isolo local governments may be sweep out of the map of the state with this impending catastrophe.

“This has a very damaging high security implication,” he said.

Although the Commander of the Nigerian Navy School, Ojo, Commodore SAG Abbah could not be reached for comment, a top-raking Naval officer who craved anonymity in a chat with Daily Independent when our correspondent visited the Naval Training School in Ojo disclosed that the Naval authorities is "deeply concern about this great threat and I can tell you that the Chief of Naval Staff has informed the minister of Defence on this aberration."

We don’t want to die, Residents cry out

Already, retired elder statesmen and federal civil servants who are residents of the 44 government, Company and Private estates, and 77 closes around the area on Tuesday cried out to the federal and Lagos state government to swiftly avert the impending calamity.

The residents alleged shoddy deals in the issuance of license by DPR. They wondered why the statutory Environmental Impact Assessment (IEA) was not conducted before the licenses to build tank farms were issued.

Rising under the auspices of the Satellite Town Central Residents Association (STCRA), the residents called on the Department of Petroleum resources to immediately withdraw the licenses given for these tank farms.

President of the association, Felix Egbamuno told Daily Independent that the residents who have served Nigeria in different capacities as well as other Nigerians are sitting on undeserving get of gun powder.

"The global standard is that tank farm or any fuel storage facility should be cited 25 nautical miles away from the armament depot. But our case here is pity-evoking, tank farms are built less than two kilometers from the biggest armament in West Africa here at the Navy Training School, Ojo," he said while addressing a press conference.

Clad by his vice President, Mazi Tony Ohakwe, Chairman Board of Truste (BOT), Rufus Ogunedojutimi, Publicity Secretary, Aron Ukodie and the Financial Secretary, Adeyinka Adewale, Egbamuno said: "Residents of this area who are retired Permanent Secretaries, retired Managing Directors of government agencies and parastatals as well as other Nigerians are alarmed by the installations of Petroleum Tank Farms in the residential area of Ijegun, which is contagious with Satellite Town. Nine Petroleum Tank Farms are said to be licensed for operation in the area and three of them are being built while one has been in operation."

He continued: "These are serious threats to life and property as one accidental fire outbreak can completely eliminate the community.

"We therefore use this medium to appeal to Lagos state and federal government to urgently review the licenses for these Tank Farms operation to avert dire consequences to our lives, property and environment," he said.  

The traditional ruler of Ijegun, Oba Nureini Akinremi, is obviously in support of efforts to ensure that the community no longer witnesses any fire disaster in spite of its proximity to fuel pipelines, the tank farm and the armory at the Navy Town.

While absolving his people of complicity in several pipeline vandalism, which led to huge explosions and fire in Ijeododo community, Akinremi told Daily Independent in his palace that he was not aware of any environmental Impact Assessment for the Tank farm.

Deaths of their neigbours, countrymen

At least 100 people were killed and scores injured when fuel from a pipeline ruptured by a bulldozer caught fire and exploded on Thursday May 15, 2008 in Ijegun, Lagos, the Red Cross said.

Observers note that the country has experienced a catalogue of pipeline explosions with dire consequences.

For instance, on October 18, 1998 a pipeline explosion occurred in the sleepy community of Jesse in Delta State, killing more than 1, 000 people and earning it the infamous number one spot for such disasters in the country.

In the Jesse tragedy, only a few of the victims were recognisable and their bodies released to their relations. The rest were given a mass burial.

The Abule Egba pipeline explosion in Lagos on December 26, 2006 remains number two as it claimed close to 500 lives. It also destroyed one sawmill, several buildings and vehicles because the flare-up occurred within the city.

A year after, December 2007 to be precise, several people were burnt to death while scooping fuel from a vandalised pipeline at Ojo creeks in Lagos.

Although the lagoon into the sea washed many victims of the Ojo inferno, the number of victims who were given a mass burial over a period of one week was close to 250.

On16 December 2010 Ijegun witnessed another pipeline explosion in which about 10 people were feared dead and about 17 declared missing. The explosion occurred in Idu, a few kilometres from Ijegun, where about 100 died in a previous oil fire.

Pipeline vandals ambushed three NNPC engineers and technicians of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, deployed to effect repairs on the vandalised products pipeline in Arepo Village were on September 9, 2012 ambushed, shot and killed.

On Saturday, January 11, at least 10 suspected vandals were, feared dead in another explosion that rocked the NNPC, pipeline at Arepo village, Owode, Ogun State. Daily Independent gathered that the explosion came following a fire, which was sparked off by some vandals who stormed the creeks, by boat to siphon fuel from the NNPC pipeline.

The fireball in the 2008 pipeline explosion engulfed homes and schools at Ijegun village in the Lagos district of Alimosho, and many of the dead, who included schoolchildren, were killed in the ensuing stampede as people fled in panic from the flames.

"About 100 people have so far been confirmed dead from the fire. We have so far rescued more than 20 people with injuries and taken them to hospital for treatment," a Red Cross official at the scene told Reuters.

The disaster was the latest in a series of pipeline explosions or blazes caused by damage or theft which have killed more than 1,200 people since 2000 in Nigeria, the world's eighth largest oil exporter and Africa's top producer.

The pipeline rupture at Ijegun, a village about 50 km (30 miles) from the centre of the sprawling coastal city of Lagos, occurred during work to build a road. A bulldozer moving earth struck the pipeline buried beneath the surface.

"I was returning home when I suddenly saw sparks of fire from where the grader (earth-mover) was working," local resident John Egbowon said.

The fuel leaking from the broken pipe caught fire and exploded, sending people fleeing in panic."

"It was like hell was raining down on us, then everybody started running in different directions," Egbowon said.

At least 15 homes were burned. More than 20 charred vehicles caught in the fire were visible afterwards in the street, as firefighters and volunteers tried to douse the flames with sand and water after the explosion.

Witnesses said that even after the main explosion, the ground around the fire was so hot that shoes melted.

Abandoned in panic, discarded school bags and sandals littered the compound of one school whose pupils had fled. A group of women wailed in grief nearby.

A network of oil and fuel pipelines criss-crosses parts of Nigeria and explosions and fires that kill many are frequent.

In the creeks of the Niger Delta, the country's main oil producing zone, the pipelines are also the target of sabotage attacks by local militants seeking greater control over oil revenues and more development for their impoverished region.

Previous accidental pipeline blasts in Nigeria have been caused by vandals who drilled holes in the feeder lines, used to distribute mainly imported fuel, in order to steal petrol for sale on the black market.

Despite the country's oil wealth, most Nigerians live on less than $2 per day and many are prepared to take huge risks to obtain free fuel.

At least 45 people were burnt to death last December in another village on the outskirts of Lagos when fuel they were stealing from a buried pipeline went up in flames.

One year earlier, 250 people were killed in another pipeline fire in a different area of Lagos.

In such situations, a small number of organized thieves usually drill a hole in a pipeline, but as word spreads others come and try to steal the fuel and fire often breaks out.

DPR’s graveyard silence

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), an agency saddled with the responsibility to grant license to build and operate tank farms has, however kept a graveyard silence over the issue.

Spokesperson for the DPR, Belema Osibidu, a Deputy Director, Public Affairs department of the agency did not pick calls made to her phone on Tuesday.

“(I) Will get back to you” was the content of a reply she sent on Wednesday as a response to an earlier text message sent on Tuesday to her to get the side of her agency.

But a source at the Department who “does not have power to talk to Press,” and therefore carved anonymity told Daily Independent that investigation on the matter showed that “powerful people” have hands in the tank farm. He refused to answer question posed to mention names of the powerful people.

But he stated that the agency has commenced investigation to actually unravel whether the tank farms owners have authentic license or not.

NNPC blames Pipeline fire on vandals

Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu had outline vandalism as parts of the crisis confronting his leadership at the NNPC blaming this for series of pipeline fire incidents in the country.

``We had over 774 break points within three months from August to October 2012 from Atlas Cove to Ilorin depot. Between Atlas Cove and Mosimi depot, we recorded 181 break points, from Mosimi to Ibadan, we had 421 ruptured points and from Mosimi to Ore, we recorded 50 vandalized points. Also between Ibadan and Ilorin we had a total of 122 break points,’’ the GMD stated. 

Understanding Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is, according to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the environmental, social and economic aspects.

EIAs have often been criticized for having too narrow spatial and temporal scope. At present no procedure has been specified for determining a system boundary for the assessment. The system boundary refers to ‘the spatial and temporal boundary of the proposal’s effects’. The applicant and the lead assessor determine this boundary, but in practice, almost all EIAs address the direct, on-site effects alone.

However, as well as direct effects, developments cause a multitude of indirect effects through consumption of goods and services, production of building materials and machinery, additional land use for activities of various manufacturing and industrial services, mining of resources etc. The indirect effects of developments are often an order of magnitude higher than the direct effects assessed by EIA. Large proposals such as airports or ship yards cause wide ranging national as well as international environmental effects, which should be taken into consideration during the decision-making process.

Broadening the scope of EIA can also benefit threatened species conservation. Instead of concentrating on the direct effects of a proposed project on its local environment some EIAs used a landscape approach which focused on much broader relationships between the entire population of a species in question. As a result, an alternative that would cause least amount of negative effects to the population of that species as a whole, rather than the local sub-population, can be identified and recommended by EIA.

There are various methods available to carry out EIAs, some are industry specific and some general methods:

 Industrial products - Product environmental life cycle analysis (LCA) is used for identifying and measuring the impact on the environment of industrial products. These EIAs consider technological activities used for various stages of the product: extraction of raw material for the product and for ancillary materials and equipment, through the production and use of the product, right up to the disposal of the product, the ancillary equipment and material.

    Genetically modified plants - There are specific methods available to perform EIAs of genetically modified plants. Some of the methods are GMP-RAM, INOVA etc.

    Fuzzy Arithmetic - EIA methods need specific parameters and variables to be measured to estimate values of impact indicators. However many of the environment impact properties cannot be measured on a scale e.g. landscape quality, lifestyle quality, social acceptance etc. and moreover these indicators are very subjective. Thus to assess the impacts we may need to take the help of information from similar EIAs, expert criteria, sensitivity of affected population etc. To treat this information, which is generally inaccurate, systematically, fuzzy arithmetic and approximate reasoning methods can be utilised. This is called as a fuzzy logic approach.

At the end of the project, an EIA should be followed by an audit. An EIA audit evaluates the performance of an EIA by comparing actual impacts to those that were predicted. The main objective of these audits is to make future EIAs more valid and effective. The two main considerations are:

scientific - to check the accuracy of predictions and explain errors.

management- to assess the success of mitigation in reducing impacts.

Some people believe that audits be performed as a rigorous scientific testing of the null hypotheses. While some believe in a simpler approach where you compare what actually occurred against the predictions in the EIA document.

After an EIA, the precautionary and polluter pays principles may be applied to prevent, limit, or require strict liability or insurance coverage to a project, based on its likely harms. Environmental impact assessments are sometimes controversial.

Last line

The primary intention of sitting these tank farms in Ijegun is for business therefore the lives of helpless Nigerian should not be traded for money. Considering the huge losses induced by pipeline fire, especially as regards lives, the government through the NNPC and the DPR, should relocate the tank farms. Failure to do this will present government as a penny wise pound-foolish.

Oiling Nigeria, 50 years after

The Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. 

Opinions are sharply divided on whether Nigeria has tolled the path of oil boom or oil doom in its 50 years’ sojourn as an independent nation. Legendary Energy Journalist, Adeola Yusuf periscopes how the country has faired in the midst of abundant energy resources as it celebrates the golden jubilee.

Looking specifically at the pro-oil boom decade (1960-70); the period of the oil boom (1971 1977), the period known as the time of structural adjustment (1986 - 1993) and the period of guided deregulation (1994 –till date), the story of Nigeria’s energy industry has been a mixed grill.

Up till today, it is still difficult to exaggerate the role of oil in the Nigerian economy. Since the first oil price shock in 1974, oil has annually produced over 90 percent of Nigeria's export income. In 2000 Nigeria received 99.6 percent of its export income from oil, making it the world's most oil-dependent country.

From 1970 to 1999, oil generated almost $231 billion in rents for the Nigerian economy, in constant 1999 dollars. Since 1974, these rents have constituted between 21 and 48 percent of GDP.

Yet remarkably, these rents have failed to raise Nigerian incomes and done little to reduce poverty. Although countyry’s poverty rates have never been well-measured, there is little indication that they have declined over the last three decades.

Like oil like electricity

Not minding the recent launch of roadmap for power sector reforms by President Goodluck Jonathan the electricity demand in Nigeria far outstrips the supply and the supply is epileptic in nature as the country celebrates 50 years of existence as an independent nation.

The country is faced with acute electricity problems, which is hindering its development notwithstanding the availability of vast natural resources in the country. It is widely accepted that there is a strong correlation between socio-economic development and the availability of electricity.

Looking back

Although electricity is older than oil discovery in Nigeria, the duo share a similar history.

The history of electricity in Nigeria dates back to 1896 when electricity was first produced in Lagos, fifteen years after its introduction in England. Despite the fact that its existence in the country is over a century, its development has been at a slow rate. In 1950, a central body was established by the legislative council, which transferred electricity supply and development to the care of the central body known as the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, now defunct. Other bodies like Native Authorities and Nigeria Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) have licenses to produce electricity in some locations in Nigeria. There was another body known as Niger Dams Authority (NDA) established by an act of parliament.

For oil, cash cow for Nigeria’s economy, it was an an interesting start. Shell-BP was the sole concessionaire in Nigeria in 1956 when it made the first oil discovery in Oloibiri in the Niger Delta. This oil field came on stream in 1958. Following this, exploration rights to offshore and onshore areas adjoining the Niger Delta were made available to foreign companies. Nigeria achieved independence from Britain in 1960. After 1960 exploration rights were extended to other foreign companies.

In 1977, Nigeria established the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) in 1977. The NNPC became the dominant player in the downstream sector and acquired a 57% stake in the upstream sector through joint venture agreements with all major international players.

In 1990, the Government offered for bidding a number of new concessions in the deep outer shelf of the Delta area. Water depths of some blocks extend to about 3,000m. In 1993, deep offshore blocks in water depths between 200 and 3,000m were awarded to local and international oil companies including BP/Statoil, Shell, Mobil, Elf, Agip and Exxon.. The exploration and development campaign began in 1995. To date, a number of sizeable discoveries as well as modest ones have been made. Some of the major commercial finds include Bonga (OPL 212), Agbami (OPL 216) and Erha (OPL 209) and by Elf in OPL 246. In the Niger Delta shallow continental shelf and onshore blocks, new discoveries have also continued to be recorded.

In 1998, the military government created 25 new deepwater oil concessions. The blocks designated OPL 317-325, OPL 251-265 are located in waters with depths between 6,600 ft and 16,500ft.

The oil, the economy

Oil has also had a deep influence on the Nigerian government. Since the early 1970s, the Nigerian government has annually received over half of its revenues - sometimes as much as 85 percent - directly from the oil sector. These oil revenues are not only large, they are also highly volatile - that is, they can fluctuate drastically in size from year to year, causing the size of government, and the funding of government programs, to fluctuate accordingly. For example, from 1972 to 1975, government spending rose from 8.4 percent to 22.6 percent of GDP; by 1978, it dropped back to 14.2 percent of the economy.

The Nigerian economy has according to A. H. Ekpo and 0. J. Umoh had a truncated history. In the period 1960-70, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) recorded 3.1 per cent growth annually.

During the oil boom era, roughly 1970-78, QDP grew positively by 6.2 per cent annually - a remarkable growth. However, in the 1980s, GDP had negative growth rates. In the period 1988-1997 which constitutes the period of structural adjustment and economic liberalisation, the QDP responded to economic adjustment policies and grew at a positive rate of 4.0.

In the years after independence, industry and manufacturing sectors had positive growth rates except for the period 1980-1988 where industry and manufacturing grew negatively by - 3.2 per cent and - 2.9 per cent respectively.

The Mixed Grill

Chima Ibeneche, the Managing Director of Nigeria LNG Limited is one of those who believe that the story of Nigeria’s oil industry is a mixed grill. He opined in a chat with newsmen that though the petroleum industry had not adequately reflected the country’s need in terms of developing the key sectors, the industry had boosted the nation’s revenue earnings. 

Fielding questions in his capacity as the President of Nigerian Gas Association (NGA), Ibeneche said: “If you want to be negative, you can find millions of reasons why we should not celebrate the 50th anniversary of this country. No matter how critical we want to be of the government, its attempts on amnesty and post-amnesty programmes have cooled down the agitation and attacks on the oil and gas industry. Therefore, Nigeria’s production has increased considerably. So, there is something to celebrate there. 

 “The second point is that, step-wise, we have continued to indigenise the oil and gas industry. You may have noticed that recently the Nigerian oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act was passed to build upon the administrative aspect to encourage people to use more Nigerian capacity in the oil and gas industry. 

“I think the benefits of this will unfold in the next decades. But it is apparent that the industry is becoming more indigenised and therefore, the deeper reasoning to use more Nigerians is already being learnt.”

Nigerian Content Act through NCDMC

In April, 2010, a new dawn beckoned in the oil business in Nigeria with President Goodluck Jonathan signing the Nigerian Content Act. Although it took the government about 50 years before taking this leap, the move, which led to the establishment of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) was meant top give a new direction to the oil industry.

NCDMB had, in line with this, declared that one per cent of every contract awarded in the Nigerian oil and gas industry would be used to fund the Nigerian Content Act.

Acting Executive Secretary of the board, Ernest Nwapa who said this maintained that one percent of every contract would henceforth be paid into the Nigerian Content Development Fund, in accordance with the Nigerian Content Act, assented into law by President Goodluck Jonathan recently.

Gas flaring and Pricing Regime

 Lack of the infrastructure to produce and market associated natural gas had made oil companies to resort to gas flaring.  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Nigeria flared 532 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2008, down from 593 billion cubic feet in 2007. While there were no current estimates as to the cost of flaring the natural gas, in 2007, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) claimed that flaring cost Nigeria $1.46 billion in lost revenue.  The Federal Government, which, sources said, had been working to end natural gas flaring for several years, has repeatedly postponed the deadline pushing the date forward as far as 2012.

But Alison-Madueke put the record on gas pricing regime straight during a press briefing recently: “I have outlined a focused 2 point agenda for gas. The first is expeditious implementation of the Nigerian Gas Master-Plan to attain used short term objectives and a few sustained medium term objectives. The second is Positioning Nigeria competitively in global gas export by securing the FID of Brass LNGG by the end of the year and refocusing effort on OKLNG and TSGP.”

Last Line

The focus should now be on how to make memorable, the second half of the century, which Nigeria has now stepped into. Depending on the side of the half someone finds himself, if he or she wants to be negative or positive, he or she can find millions of reasons to support his or her view on whether Nigeria is qualify to celebrate the 50th anniversary or not.

Bomb scare rocks NNPC Headquarters

                                          NNPC's corporate Headquarters, Abuja, Nigeria.

. Corporation commences security drill in Abuja, SBUs, dispels bomb scare rumour

By Adeola Yusuf, Lagos

A bomb scare rocked the corporate headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria, causing workers and visitors to the ediface to scamper for safety.

The NNPC immediately conducted a security drill at the Corporate Headquarters in Abuja and all its Strategic Business Units across the Country after the rumoured bomb scare at the corporation.

The Group General manger, Group Public Affairs division of the NNPC, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma who confirmed the security drill “to ward off any possible security breach,” however dispelled the rumour that there was a bomb scare at the NNPC Towers.

He said: “The top management of the Corporation directed the security department to carry out a security drill which is aimed at heightening security consciousness among the staff and all visitors to NNPC installations.”

The corporation, cash cow of the Nigerian economy, has biggest stake in the upstream, middle stream and downstream sectors of the multi-billion dollars Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

NNPC, the statement signed by Ajuonuma read: “conducted a security drill at the Corporate Headquarters and all its Strategic Business Units across the Country to ward off any possible security breach.”

Claiming that the security drill is a routine at the corporation offices, the spokesperson said, that it was done on Tuesday, “in consonance with the health and safety core values of the Oil and Gas Industry worldwide.”

The Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, he said, “as usual conducted a security drill at the Corporate Headquarters and all its Strategic Business Units across the Country to ward off any possible security breach.”

He added:  “There is no cause for alarm. The drill is a regular exercise that the Corporation carries out from time to time to assure our staff and all our visitors that we are on top of our security situation and to heighten our security alertness. The NNPC Towers is well secured and there is no threat of bomb scare anywhere.”

The NNPC spokesman also dispelled the rumour that there was a bomb scare at the NNPC Towers, Abuja and described it as the figment of the imagination of those who don’t mean well for the nation.

He assured Nigerians of the Corporation’s readiness to continue to sustain steady supply of petroleum products across the country, revealing that the NNPC would continue to touch the lives of Nigerians in many positive ways.