Oil theft: Firm urges FG, multinationals partnership

Lee Engineering and Construction Company Ltd. has called for collaboration between the Federal Government and multinationals to protect the country's oil pipelines from thieves.

Dr. Leemon Ikpea, the company's group chairman and chief executive officer, made this known at a news briefing on Friday in Abuja.

"The time has come for us to create a pool of funds to further tackle insecurity," he said.

He decried the security situation in the country and appealed to big organizations to support the government in improving security.

Ikpea said ensuring security along our pipelines was necessary as 80 percent of the national economy was driven by the oil and gas sector.

"We can have a security fund that can be in a pool at a certain bank, and if there is any flashy area, the fund can be used."

"The fund can as well be used for road construction and rehabilitation."

"Security issues should not be left for the government alone to tackle; rather, it should be a collective effort in terms of funding and information, among others," he said.

Ikpea noted that the country had recorded an improvement in crude oil production following the government's special intervention and attention to security.

He, however, lauded the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. for its recent discovery of illegal pipelines due to heightened security.

On corporate social responsibility, he said the company established a foundation in 2012 to care for widows, the elderly, and sick people.

Ikpea noted that the foundation had trained about 40 doctors working in different countries, with over 189 graduates in civil and mechanical engineering.

He disclosed that the company would also diversify into aviation, production, exploration travels, and tours, among others, in the near future.

Lee Engineering Group is a high-level indigenous service provider in engineering, procurement, construction, operation, and maintenance (EPCOM) with over 30 years of experience in the oil, gas, and power sectors.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the company was among the recipients of the National Merit Award by President Muhammadu Buhari.