By NEWSCOUNT Desk
The House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities has recommended the dismissal of a petition against Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and its Managing Director, Dr. Osahon Okunbor, after its investigative subcommittee reported that the allegations of financial impropriety, improper contract implementation and neglect of surveillance personnel were not substantiated by the evidence presented before it.
The committee also recommended an extension of PINL’s pipeline surveillance contract, passed a vote of confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited), PINL and its managing director, and commended the contributions of pipeline surveillance contractors to the protection of the nation’s oil and gas infrastructure.
The decisions were announced on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at the National Assembly in Abuja, during a sitting at which lawmakers considered the report of the subcommittee that investigated the petition submitted by the Niger Delta Oil-Producing Communities Reform Movement (ND-OCRIM).
The report examined the allegations against PINL, the utilisation of funds received under its surveillance contract, the effectiveness of its operations, the welfare of personnel engaged in pipeline protection and the reported impact of its activities on crude oil production in the Niger Delta.
Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Hon. Dekor Dumnamene Robinson, had earlier assured stakeholders that the committee would examine the petition in accordance with the Rules of the House and give the parties an opportunity to present their positions.
The petition, dated September 5, 2026, was received by the committee on September 15. It called for a comprehensive investigation into PINL’s contract, including the total funds received by the company, how the money had been utilised and the extent to which the resources had been deployed to protect Nigeria’s critical petroleum pipelines.
The petitioners also requested a forensic examination of the company’s financial records and transactions, raised concerns about the welfare and working conditions of surveillance personnel and called for an investigation into certain personal expenditures allegedly linked to Okunbor.
Among the issues they wanted the lawmakers to establish was whether expenditure allegedly associated with the managing director, including luxury property acquisitions and private-jet travel, had been financed with money accruing to PINL under the pipeline surveillance contract.
The allegations were claims contained in the petition and had not been established as facts before the committee.
Following receipt of the petition, the committee referred the matter to its subcommittee for investigation. The panel subsequently invited the petitioners to substantiate their claims and invited PINL to respond to the allegations.
According to the subcommittee’s report, the petitioners were invited on September 14, September 22 and October 5, 2026, but failed to appear before the panel. They neither sent representatives nor provided explanations for their absence or documentary evidence to support their allegations.
The subcommittee held its concluding sitting on October 7, 2026.
PINL, however, appeared before the panel and submitted a written report titled The Impact of PINL Operations on Oil Production and Stability of the Niger Delta, alongside geotagged photographs of its operations.
The company used the submission to explain its surveillance activities, the resources deployed to protect pipelines, its engagement with host communities and the improvements it said had been recorded in crude oil deliveries.
After examining the material before it, the subcommittee reported that the allegations against PINL and its managing director had not been substantiated. It recommended that the petition be dismissed for lack of evidence and that further investigation into the issues raised be discontinued.
The panel also recommended that the committee formally record its finding that the allegations against the company and Okunbor had not been established, while making it clear that the decision should not prejudice the legal rights of any affected party.
The committee’s review also focused on the performance of the pipeline surveillance contract and the reported improvement in the movement of crude oil through the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) to the Bonny Terminal in Rivers State.
According to figures contained in PINL’s submission, the proportion of crude oil reaching the terminal increased from three per cent in May 2022 to 98 per cent in September 2026.
The company told the subcommittee that before it commenced operations in August 2022, about 97 out of every 100 barrels pumped into the pipeline were lost before reaching their intended destination. It maintained that the situation contributed to serious disruptions in crude oil production, the declaration of force majeure and a decline in Nigeria’s daily oil output to below 900,000 barrels.
PINL attributed the reported improvement to its surveillance operations and collaboration with security agencies and host communities along the pipeline corridor.
The company stated that its operations covered 215 host communities and involved more than 35,600 surveillance guards. It further listed 28 forward bases, 130 boats, 175 vehicles and 25 drones among the assets deployed for pipeline monitoring and protection, with support from 454 personnel drawn from government security agencies.
The surveillance arrangement, according to the company’s report, also involved identifying and addressing illegal connections to petroleum pipelines, disrupting illegal refining activities and improving security along the routes used for crude oil transportation.
PINL reported that 2,049 illegal pipeline connections had been remediated and 1,010 illegal refinery clusters destroyed through the operations it cited in its submission.
The company also told the panel that Oil Mining Lease 11, which had remained shut for 18 months, resumed operations within 90 days of its engagement.
The subcommittee considered these operational claims as part of its assessment of the contract’s contribution to pipeline security and crude oil production. It also noted that the petitioners’ absence meant that the allegations against the company were not supported by evidence presented by them during the proceedings.
On the allegations concerning the utilisation of contract funds and the managing director’s personal expenditure, the report did not establish the claims as proven wrongdoing. Rather, the subcommittee concluded that the allegations had not been substantiated before it and recommended that the petition be dismissed.
The report also examined PINL’s activities in its host communities, particularly its claims concerning education, skills development and humanitarian assistance.
According to the company, it had awarded more than 5,000 scholarships and provided skills training for over 4,000 women and girls. It also reported that flood relief had been delivered to more than 10 communities in Rivers State.
The subcommittee noted the company’s reported engagement with host communities in the areas covered by the surveillance arrangement.
The panel nevertheless urged the company to sustain its engagement with host communities and pay greater attention to the welfare of the personnel engaged in its surveillance operations.
It maintained that the protection of petroleum pipelines requires cooperation among the Federal Government, security agencies, surveillance contractors and communities located along the pipeline routes.
Following its review, the committee recommended that the Federal Government extend PINL’s pipeline surveillance contract, citing the operational performance presented to the panel and the reported improvement in crude oil deliveries through the Trans Niger Pipeline.
The recommendation is directed at the Federal Government and does not, by itself, constitute confirmation that a contract extension has been approved.
The committee also recommended a vote of confidence in President Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, the management of NNPC Limited, PINL and the pipeline surveillance contractors for their reported contributions to the protection of petroleum infrastructure and improvement in oil production.
The National Security Adviser was commended for coordinating security efforts in support of pipeline protection, while NNPC Limited’s management was praised for its role in sustaining the reforms and providing an enabling environment for surveillance operations.
The committee also recognised the contributions of other pipeline surveillance providers, including Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, to the protection of oil and gas facilities.
The findings and recommendations arose from the committee’s consideration of the petition and the subcommittee’s report on the effectiveness of the pipeline surveillance arrangement. The committee’s recommendations concerning the contract and the petition remain subject to the appropriate legislative and executive processes.
The report stated that the scholarship and empowerment programmes included a ₦2 billion scholarship initiative for 1,500 students in Bayelsa, Rivers, Abia and Imo states. In Bayelsa, 600 beneficiaries reportedly received scholarships ranging from ₦500,000 to ₦1 million each.
The company further stated that its Women’s Skills Development and Enterprise Programme targeted 2,000 women and girls in the 215 host communities, including 1,000 women in Bayelsa who reportedly received ₦250,000 each. It also provided food-bank assistance and palliatives to host communities and surveillance personnel, in addition to flood relief for communities affected by the 2022 and 2023 floods.
About 55 members of the committee were reported to have passed the vote of confidence. The lawmakers stressed the importance of evidence in legislative investigations and commended the technical subcommittee for examining the petition and presenting its findings.
