ANRPM inaugurates Bayelsa exco, declares war on vandals

The Association of the Nigerian Refineries Petroleum Marketers, ANRPM, has inaugurated its Bayelsa State executives at Yenagoa, over the weekend, even as the group declared total war on oil theft, pipelines vandalism, illegal oil bunkering and products adulteration, in the historic state, where oil was first discovered.

The well-attended inauguration took place under the watchful eyes of the National Taskforce Team Chairman, Eshanekpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro, who after the exercise led the new exco to the office of the State Police Commissioner, Ben Okolo. At the police chief’s office, the new state executives pledged zero tolerance for sundry crimes in the downstream Nigerian oil industry.

Tuaweri Izuongiowei, emerged the State Chairman of the ANRPM. The National Presidency, Ashiga Wada was also in attendance to join in administering the oath of office on the new executives.

The group, according the Taskforce Chairman, was established for the purpose of eradicating corruption among product marketers, who he said are complicit in most crimes in that that segment of the petroleum industry.

Akpodoro, a notable ex-militant leader, stated that, having been neck-deep in the security of the Niger Delta region since the declaration of the Amnesty Programme by the Federal Government, he has followed the crime wave in the oil industry and come to the conclusion that oil marketers are the bane of the oil and gas business in Nigeria.

He stressed further that having led the operations of the Surveillance and Enforcement Team of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN until recently, he is well informed about the nefarious activities of marketers, which is why he called on the newly-inaugurated executives to ensure that Bayelsa State is freed from the criminal grip of illicit oil and gas dealers, so that the people can sleep with their eyes closed as against avoidable fire outbreaks from vandalism of product pipelines, which kill people at close sequence.

Akpodoro called on the people of the state to volunteer credible information that could enable the Taskforce Team tto apprehend operators of illicit oil business in the area, adding that shielding perpetrators of oil theft, illegal bunkering, pipeline vandals from the wrath of the law will expose the people to dangers associated with the nefarious activities of criminals in the oil sector.

He added that the inauguration of the Bayelsa State chapter of the Taskforce Team came after Imo and Delta states, saying the association is going round the states to inaugurate its executives to send the signal of zero tolerance of crimes to the perpetrators. He disclosed that Edo, Rivers, Ondo, Lagos and Ogun State chapters will soon come on stream.

He therefore, warned members of the new executives to ensure every criminal is brought to justice without delay, while warning that the group has no tolerance for any shortcoming from its personnel, maintaining that every offender no matter how highly placed must be brought to book.

While on their visit to the CP, the Police boss, Okoro, pledged to cooperate with the Taskforce Team to wage war against crimes and criminalities in the downstream oil industry.