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Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), the company in charge of surveillance operations in the Eastern Corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), says it has engaged the services of over 35,000 youths of the Niger Delta region on security of oil infrastructure and other critical national assets. This, as Nigeria’s gas production output has been reported to have risen to 7.59 billion standard cubic feet in the month of July, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulation Commission (NUPRC). General Manager, Community Relations and Stakeholders Engagement of PINL, Dr Akpos Mezeh, announced the figure of the youth employment during the monthly stakeholders meeting with host communities along the Trans Niger Pipeline in Port Harcourt. ALSO READ: Countries with most number of Ballon d’Or awards Mezeh said that with the additional responsibilities of securing gas assets in the Eastern Corridor, more surveillance jobs have been created for youths in the region. The PINL official, while applauding the Federal Government’s commitment towards mitigating unemployment in the country and the Niger Delta in particular through the expansion of surveillance jobs, urged other tiers of government to provide more opportunities for youths in the Niger Delta. “At PINL, while our primary mandate is to secure the Trans Niger Pipeline, TNP, we have expanded our scope to include other oil and gas facilities, including lines in the Eastern Corridor. This expanded operation is a call to duty and aptly aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda. With the recent deployment of additional workers due to the expanded scope, PINL provides direct employment to over 35,000 youths across the Niger Delta and oil-bearing communities. “While the Federal Government has demonstrated commitment towards mitigating unemployment and poverty through initiatives such as pipeline surveillance jobs, we urge other tiers of government to complement these efforts by providing more opportunities for our youths,” he said. Giving a scorecard of their operations in the last month, Mezeh said the company recorded zero infractions on the TNP, uninterrupted operations on the Eastern Corridor, and peace in host communities, while crude oil losses dropped to a 16-year low as reported by Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Corporation (NUPRC). He attributed the feat to the collaboration of the communities and stakeholders. However, he reported that there were attempts to breach the TNP at Bonny and Eteo community in Eleme but were foiled by a combined team of security personnel, while suspected vandals in Ikata and Ogbo communities of Ahead East are undergoing prosecution by the Office of the National Security Adviser ( ONSA). Despite the successes, Mezeh regretted that incidents of stakeholder connivance, leadership disputes in some communities, amongst others, still threaten the smooth operations of the company. The company assured continued partnership with their partners, the ONSA and the NNPCL, and relevant government agencies to find lasting solutions to the challenges facing the host communities. Mezeh urged the communities to continue to work with the firm, not just as partners but as a family, in securing the TNP on the Eastern corridor. NUPRC, in a statement, said that Nigeria has witnessed steady growth over the past three years, with daily average production hitting 7.59 bscf, with a simultaneous decline in flaring, adding that the feat underscored the commission’s drive to boost production while advancing its 2030 zero-flare commitment.This, it added, marked an 8.58 per cent increase compared to the 6.99 bscfd recorded in the full year of 2024. “The 7.59 bscfd daily average also represents a 9.84 per cent increase from the 6.91 bscfd posted in the full year of 2023, which shows a sustained rise in gas production. The 7.59 bscfd daily average also represents a 9.84 per cent increase from the 6.91 bscfd posted in the full year of 2023, which shows a sustained rise in gas production. “Despite an increase in production, the Commission also reported a continued reduction in gas flaring, which fell to 7.16 per cent in July 2025, down from 7.55 per cent in 2024 and 7.38 per cent in the corresponding period of 2023,” the statement read partly”, the statement added. Meanwhile, stakeholders from the host communities have lauded the company for fighting unemployment in the communities through the engagement of the surveillance workers. The stakeholders, which include Comrade Emeni Ibe, President-General of Orashi People’s Congress, andEngr Orr Sunday Orr, Eleme Coordinator of Ogoni Oil and Gas Host Communities Youths Forum, said with the efforts and commitment of PINL, vandalism, oil theft, and illegal bunkering have drastically reduced in Niger Delta region and Ogoni in particular. “Ogoni Oil and Gas Host Communities Youths Forum is aware of the Federal Government numerous policies and strategies aimed at safeguarding the pipelines, improving the standards of host communities and increasing oil production and as such, we hereby pass a vote of confidence on PINL as the company with the right strategy in securing the TNP in Niger Delta region and Ogoni in particular,” Orr said. He called on all host communities to embrace and sustain the relationship with the company, assuring that, ” Ogoni youths will continue to provide the necessary support and enabling the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, and PINL in our domain”. On his part, President-General of Orashi People’s Congress, Emeni Ibe, commended the company for engaging over 35,000 youths from the host communities. He pointed out that the coming of PINL has changed the narratives of unemployment in the area, adding that if other companies had done what PINL is doing, cases of pipeline vandalism would have been a thing of the past. “I want to commend the management of PINL. About 35,000 youths are being engaged in employment, which is a welcome development. “The coming of PINL is changing the narratives in our area so I join others to pass a vote of confidence on them,” Ibe stated.
