Host communities along the Eastern Gas Pipeline Network are drawing a hard line. Residents have given Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) a two-week window to settle outstanding surveillance payment arrears, or face consequences.
The communities, whose land the pipeline runs through, say the money owed to them for monitoring and protecting the infrastructure has gone unpaid for too long. Their patience, it seems, has run out.
The source details on exact figures and next steps are still coming in, but the message from the communities is clear: they expect to be paid for the work they have been doing to keep the pipeline safe. When host communities speak, the energy sector listens. Watch this space.
Originally published by BusinessDay.