BY ANAYO OKOLI

UMUAHIA—ABIA State Government has accused the management of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited, PPMC, of sabotaging the effort of both the federal and state governments to ensure availability of  petrol at the Osisioma Depot near Aba.

The government alleged that the PPMC was conniving with operators of tank farms to claim that pipelines conveying products from Eleme to Osisioma were being vandalized when in fact the reverse was the case  as the pipelines were being guarded around the clock by soldiers.

The faace-off between the government and PPMC was sparked off via a letter dated August 6, 2012, by the PPMC to the government, claiming that it lost 2. 7 million litres of petrol worth over N232 million to vandals between July 5 and July 19, 2012.

In the letter, PPMC named the areas where the “multiple vandalism” took place to include Eleme axis, kilometer 19.1 at Ubaku and kilometer 26.6 at Owaza.

It said:  “The vandals carried out these nefarious activities undetected.  We urge Abia State Government to intensify its campaign against pipelines vandalism among the communities to enlighten the people of the dangers of this nefarious act. This is due to the fact that NNPC may be compelled to shut the line once again if successful pumping of petroleum products through the lines cannot be guaranteed.” The letter was signed by Dr. A. Fagbure.

Reacting to the letter, the state government, through the Commissioner for Petroleum and Solid Mineral Resources, Chief Don Ubani, dismissed it as “spurious and in bad faith.”

He stated: “We see the letter as spurious, a blackmail to discontinue pumping fuel to Abia state. My investigation showed that some people who operate tank farms were behind it. They want to sabotage the Osisioma depot. There is no truth in the letter.”

According to Ubani there is no pipeline vandalization on the pipelines that pump oil to Osisioma. He said that soldiers and other security operatives had been on 24-hour surveillance of the pipelines since the resumption of operation at Osisioma depot.