Reps panel backs Tinubu, NNPC, PINL over pipeline security gains
The House Committee on Host Communities recommended extending PINL’s pipeline surveillance contract after dismissing a petition alleging financial mismanagement and other improprieties against the company and its…
Pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft have for years cost Nigeria billions of dollars in lost revenue, forcing successive governments to experiment with different surveillance arrangements, including the controversial award of pipeline protection contracts to private firms and ex-militant-linked companies. Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) is among the firms engaged to secure NNPC-operated pipelines, and its contract has previously drawn scrutiny over cost and transparency, given the history of such security deals being linked to patronage and weak oversight.
The House Committee on Host Communities' decision to clear PINL of a mismanagement petition and recommend extending its contract comes after reported improvements in pipeline security and reduced theft figures under the current arrangement. The coverage does not detail the specific findings that led the committee to dismiss the petition or the terms of the recommended contract extension, leaving questions about the scale of savings, the petitioners' identity, and whether the Senate or executive will act on the recommendation.