WARRI—NIGER Delta Avengers, NDA,
yesterday, scuttled the hope of early
resolution of the current spate of bombings in
the Niger Delta, as it did not only reject the
window created for dialogue by the Federal
Government, but also blew up another Chevron
Nigeria Limited, CNL, crude oil pipeline in
Delta State.
This came on a day indications emerged that
Nigeria’s crude oil export may drop further in
the days ahead,
as major refineries across the
globe have concluded plans to stop purchase of
crude oil from Nigeria due to rising
uncertainties about the country meeting up
with deliveries.
The latest attack came as a bombshell to the
governors of oil producing states, who met,
Tuesday, in Abuja with the Acting President,
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, service chiefs and
other functionaries on how to end pipeline
attacks in the troubled region.
Government had announced a two-week
ceasefire on Monday to build confidence in the
militants for negotiation.
Militants blow up another Chevron pipeline
in Delta
But in a tweet that blatantly negated
government’s goodwill, the militant group said
yesterday: “This is to inform the general
public that we are not negotiating with any
committee. If Federal Government is
discussing with any group, they’re doing that
on their own.
“At 1:00 a.m today (yesterday), the
NDAvengers blew up Well RMP 20 belonging
to Chevron, located 20 metres from Dibi flow
station in Warri North Local Government
Area.”
A source familiar with the location told
Vanguard, at about 5.45 a.m., that the
affected crude oil pipeline is between Opia
and Dagbolo villages in Warri North.
Confirming the latest attack, a security
source said: “Yes, there was an attack this
(yesterday) morning by militants on a Chevron
facility.
“The pipeline had earlier been attacked by
militants using the same modus operandi,
which is with the use of dynamite. The attack
was carried out at about 1:00 a.m."
According to the Chevron staff, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, the company will draft
a team of technicians to the spot to assess
the extent of damage.
A community source, who spoke to Vanguard
shortly after a joint team of CNL, soldiers
and private security outfit visited the bombed
site, said if the plan of the militants had
succeeded, the entire Dibi flow station, which
had several crude oil and gas components,
would have been set ablaze.
At last Tuesday’s meeting in Abuja, the
governors allegedly made a compelling case
for the Federal Government to cease military
operations in the area, which was heating up
the polity, and asked it to find a middle
ground with the militants, among other
things.
Foreign refineries to stop buying Nigeria's
crude oil
The restive situation in the region may lead to
a further drop in crude oil export as major
refineries across the globe have concluded
plans to stop the purchase of the commodity
from Nigeria due to rising uncertainties about
the country meeting up with deliveries.
This is arising from the fact that a number of
oil companies in Nigeria had declared force
majeure of crude oil export, while a few
others had been forced to suspend or cut
production as a result of the bombing of oil
facilities across the Niger Delta.
According to data obtained from Reuters ,
four of Nigeria’s oil grades, including the
largest stream, Qua Iboe, have been under
force majeure over the last one month.
Force majeure is a legal clause that allows
companies to cancel or delay deliveries due to
unforeseen circumstances.
The report stated that despite the fact that
ExxonMobil, which declared force majeure on
Qua Iboe in May due to an accident, lifted the
declaration last week, the unpredictability is
too much for some buyers.
The report further stated that refineries on
the United States’ east coast were beginning
to turn away from Nigerian crude oil, noting
that these same refineries had been on a
buying spree for Nigerian crude in recent
months that averaged 240,000 barrels per day
(bpd) in April and May.
As a result, the report said differentials to
dated Brent for Qua Iboe, Bonny Light and
other grades were under downward pressure,
adding that there were several unsold cargoes
for June loading.
According to the report, the reduced demand
means Nigeria is not benefiting as much as
others from a rebound in Brent crude prices
at current rate of over $51, which is partly
driven by its own oil outages, stating that the
reluctance of the refineries to buy Nigeria’s
crude oil was limiting the prices Nigeria could
get for its oil, even as there was less of it.
Specifically, the report stated that India’s
HPCL was forced last month to cancel a vessel
it chartered to carry two million barrels of
West African crude due to the Qua Iboe force
majeure , while India’s state-run Indian Oil
Corporation Limited, a major buyer of
Nigerian grades over the past year, had
stated in its recent tenders that it would not
take grades under force majeure , with Qua
Iboe remaining off the list of the company.
Indonesia’s Pertamina, another frequent
buyer, the report added, had also chosen not
to buy Nigerian grades in its recent tenders,
favouring Congolese Coco, Angolan Girassol
and Saharan Blend from Algeria instead.
The report quoted oil traders as saying that
Pertamina had shifted its preferences since
the violence and uncertainty escalated, while
Senior Vice President of the company, Daniel
Purba, said the company was monitoring
Nigeria, but noted that the situation was still
currently not affecting crude purchasing.
Commenting on the development, one oil
trader on the US east coast said: “When you
plan your crude run months in advance and
commit buying cargo, you need to be
comfortable that the cargo will be there when
you go to lift."
Similarly, Elizabeth Donnelley, Assistant Head
of the Africa Programme at Chatham House,
said: “The nature of the recently re-emerged
militancy in the Niger Delta suggests it is
here to stay for the foreseeable future.”
Also speaking, Olivier Jakob, Managing
Director of PetroMatrix in Switzerland, said
“not everybody wants to be caught up in that,
so they will avoid it. The refineries will walk
away from it.”
In a similar development, senior economist at
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp,
Takayuki Nogami, lamented, yesterday, that
the recent fall in the Japanese oil market was
a result of supply disruptions in Nigeria and
Canada, following the Niger Delta militant
activities.
Nogami, in a statement, pointed out that the
Japanese economy was on the double at the
first quarter and was slow on consumer
spending and weak exports which it
experienced lately.
According to the statement, a downturn in
the US crude inventories was noticed as the
company expressed concern over attacks on
Nigeria’s oil industry.
Stakeholders ask militants to dialogue
However, Niger Delta activist, Ann Kio Briggs;
Ijaw community leader and Chief Favour
Izuokumor advised the militant group to
embrace dialogue.
Militants should embrace dialogue —Briggs
Niger Delta activist, Ann Kio Briggs, who
hailed the two-week ceasefire in a chat with
Vanguard before Avengers discarded
government’s olive branch, said: “Definitely,
it is good news in the sense that in the search
for some individuals, they have gone into some
communities, including their return to
Gbaramatu, despite claims that they had
earlier pulled out.
“Therefore, if truly the Federal Government
is sincere in what it has said and if the
military would obey the Federal Government,
because that is another thing, then, of course,
it is welcome news.
“If you look at the whole bulk of the Niger
Delta, the people have suffered tremendously
and you cannot deny the fact that there are
a lot of issues on ground about the injustice
that the people of the region have suffered
and this injustice must be addressed.
“The only way to address them is to make
sure that the injustices are corrected and to
do this, the issues of fiscal federalism,
ownership and the people being able to develop
themselves must be addressed.
“If I was the government, the discussion
should not be only with the Niger Delta, but
should also take this opportunity to reach out
to the Middle Belt and other regions who are
agitating."
Buhari has shown commitment —Izuokumor
Activist and Ijaw community leader, Chief
Favour Izuokumor, who also hailed the
ceasefire, said it was a bold commitment by
President Buhari and urged the militants to
take advantage of the window to dialogue.
Advising government not to politicize the
talks, he stressed the need to invest in the
intelligence arm of the nation’s security
network to overcome current security
challenges facing Nigeria, particularly the
resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta.
Izuokumor, spokesperson of Ogbe-ljoh/Warri
Kingdom, said: “As the Niger Delta Avengers
has failed to toe the line of negotiation, the
Federal Government is expected to, without
delay, begin to match words with actions by
calling all stakeholders and regional leaders to
a roundtable to dialogue on some pertinent
issues as they affect the Niger Delta people."
Omare denies sponsoring Avengers
Meanwhile, a former Commissioner for
Environment in Delta State, Chief Frank
Omare, has denied online report which
fingered him of sponsoring the Avengers and
communal crisis between his community, Ogbe-
Ijoh and Aladja.
In a petition to the police, the former
commissioner, said: “I wish to state clearly
and in unequivocal terms that I do not know
any member of Niger Delta Avengers. I am
also not one of the sponsors of the Niger
Delta Avengers, as I have no reason to do so.
“I also did not hold any meeting with members
of the Niger Delta Avengers or anybody
whatsoever at Ogulaha or any other
community on how to attack and wipe out
Aladja.
“In the past seven years that I have been in
the Delta State government, I have used my
position to promote peace and harmonious
relationship between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja.
‘’Former Governors James Ibori, Emmanuel
Uduaghan and the present governor, Senator
Ifeanyi Okowa, can testify to this fact.”
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