By Disun Amosun
The House of Representatives yesterday identified the dire need for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited NNPCL to revamp its moribund subsidiary, the Nigerian Pipeline Storage Company Depot, Ore, Ondo state.
This is with a view of reestablishing the depot, set up in 1979 with a storage capacity of 22 million litres of PMS, AGO and Diesel and a network of pipeline to receive and distribute the products nationwide.
The House therefore urged the parent company to prioritize the repair and rehabilitation of the neglected and vandalized pipelines linking the Ore depot to ensure immediate resumption of operations 3 the facility.
Members at the end of considering the issue mandated the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream) to liaise with relevant stakeholders and assess the current state of the Ore depot to ensure prompt action and its restoration.
Rep. Ayodele Adefiranye who raised the matter at plenary said the functionality of the Ore Depot will not only improve product distribution, it would also serve as a key hub of supply to the Southwest region, parts of Edo, Kwara and Kogi States, as well as facilitate economic activities on the affected zones.
He said “Over the years, pipelines supplying or evacuating products years, thereby disrupting product supply, increase costs of petroleum products and undue hardship for Nigerians.”
“The continued neglect of the facility undermines the FG’s efforts towards economic diversification, job creation and ease of doing business particularly for small and medium-scale enterprises relying heavily on petroleum products”, he added.
