– As NUJ pledges support for development journalism
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s declining crude oil production due to widespread pipeline vandalism, stressing that sabotage of oil infrastructure remains a major threat to national revenue and economic growth.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, to the Commission’s Port Harcourt Regional Office, Regional Coordinator of NUPRC, Dr. Musa Zagi, revealed that most trunklines in the region are currently out of service, forcing operators to resort to costlier and riskier crude trucking operations.
“Regrettably, production is decreasing while expenses and population are on the rise. Almost all our trunklines are out of service due to vandalism. This has incidentally increased trucking on our roads,” Zagi lamented.
The NUPRC regional boss urged journalists to use their platforms to educate the public on the implications of wilful vandalism, stressing that despite the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, the ‘compensation-for-destruction’ mindset persists among some communities.
“There’s still a craze for compensation even after deliberate sabotage. This must be addressed through aggressive public awareness,” he said.
He commended the NUJ for its plan to shift focus toward development journalism, saying this new media direction could help reshape public discourse and sensitize communities on the damaging consequences of pipeline vandalism and sabotage.
“We are excited by your decision to change the narrative from incident reportage to developmental journalism. That’s the kind of partnership we need now more than ever,” Zagi said.
Earlier, the Rivers NUJ Chairman, Comrade Paul Bazia-Nsaneh, who led his executive team on a familiarization tour to the Commission, lauded the critical role NUPRC plays as Nigeria’s upstream petroleum regulator and expressed NUJ’s readiness to support efforts to drive economic development through responsible reportage.
“We are moving away from incident or negative reportage to development journalism. This will attract investments and create jobs for our people,” Bazia stated.
He announced that the NUJ will host a Media Summit in October 2025, themed “Rivers State After Oil”, which will focus on economic diversification through tourism and the blue economy.
According to Bazia, natural assets like the Andoni-Oyorokoto/Bonny white sand beaches and wildlife corridors will be spotlighted as viable alternatives to fossil-fuel dependence.
“NUJ is open to partnering with NUPRC to change the oil and gas narrative and promote non-oil investment opportunities that create long-term value for the state,” he added.
SOURCE: sweetcrudereports.com