Oil and Gas Pipeline Infrastructure Insecurity

This chapter introduces the entire book. It sets out the structure of the discussion covered and highlights some of the key findings. The chapter provides a synopsised summary of onshore oil and gas pipeline infrastructure insecurity problems in Nembe-Bayelsa. This is used as a lens to explore oil and gas infrastructure resilience and vulnerabilities; threats, socio-economic tensions; and conflicts in the broader Niger Delta region of Nigeria, and the Global South. It discussed various themes broadly contextualised within the central research question including the background to the problem, the purpose of the research, and contributions made to the body of knowledge as well as the data-gathering methods and analytical technique adopted. It also sets out and introduces the entire structure of the book.

This Chapter begins by examining oil and gas infrastructure insecurity focusing on pipeline vandalism in the case study area of Bayelsa State, and the impact this has on local communities in Niger Delta. It does so by exploring numerous publicly available academic literature which is supported in Chapters 6 and 7 with new transcribed and analysed interview data from key oil and gas stakeholders from local communities and the oil industry. It establishes that despite the different perspectives on the causes of pipeline insecurity problems and strategies deployed by the government and oil and gas firms against vandalism the problem persists. Military deployment, political negotiations, and technological innovations have not provided the desired solution. There has not been a marked increase in the security of personnel and oil and gas infrastructure in the region. It also explores the impact of colonialism and neo-imperialistic interests that fostered raw material exploitation in the Niger Delta area. Critical discourse analysis continues to be used as an analytical tool to explain, interpret and analyse the qualitative literature. While establishing the relationship between text languages and social conflicts. Hence creating deeper insight into the causes of pipeline vandalism and the impact of oil and gas activities on the local communities.

This chapter provides the required context to appropriately underpin the book research exploring the impact of oil and gas exploration and infrastructure in Niger Delta on the UNSGDs focusing on the case study community of Nembe Bayelsa. It specifically focuses on climate action, decent employment, and life above ground and they lead to tensions and insecurity of the NCTL onshore oil and gas pipeline. The region is characterised by socio-economic stagnation, poverty, environmental degradation, pollution, and insecurity. This chapter and the book will establish that much of this is down to poor governance, and everything in between, that has intensified corruption and criminality. This has led to the recycling of incompetent and wicked leaders, private sector exploitation, and neglect of the damaging side effects of oil and gas exploration (Eboreime et al., 2010; Douglas and Okonta in Where Vultures Feast: Shell, Human Rights, and Oil in the Niger Delta, London, Verso, 2003).

This chapter explores the causes of onshore oil and gas pipeline infrastructure insecurity and critically analyses the vandalism of Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL). It does so by identifying the underlying socio-economic and political grievances that led to the vandalism of the NCTL pipelines. As well as further insecurity in the Nembe community and the wider Niger Delta region. It points out that some of these collective grievances exist in most resource-rich countries in the Global South. The chapter uses the Frustration-Aggression-Displacement theory (FADT) to analyse the underlying factors that trigger anger and frustration resulting in aggression that causes vandalism, and militancy problems (Almond, Almond and Coleman (eds), The Politics of the Developing Ages, Princeton University Press, 2015; Bushman et al., 2018; Dollard and Sears et al., 1939; Paes, W. C. (2003). Oil Production and National Security in sub-Saharan Africa. In Oil Policy in the Gulf of Guinea. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung). FADT is suitable for this research because it presents a more realistic analysis of the outcome of the socio-economic, political, and environmental impacts of oil and gas companies on local communities in Bayelsa. Thereby filling the gaps in Structural-Functionalism (SF) and Greed versus Grievance models. SF which came to political science by way of sociology sees society as a complex system. It proposes the integration of different inputs and processes of societal structures such as education, the extractive sector, and the criminal justice system (Ray, 2004). Its integrative nature makes it an explanatory hypothesis relevant to all aspects of political systems. However, the “greed” versus “grievance” model argues that the opportunity for benefits and income through increased power motivates greedy behaviours (Hoeffler, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism Journal 11:274–284, 2011). This greedy behaviours by political leaders are common phenomena in Nigeria, and most countries in the Global South. Grievance, on the other hand, is the outcome of deprivations, denial of benefits, and inequalities which leads to anger, tensions, fuel violent resistance, and conflicts. The outcome of using the critical discourse analysis technique in this chapter showed conflict in text and language in documented and literature evidence that narrates the social, cultural, political, and security structures in Nigeria and how they influence the oil and gas insecurity in Bayelsa.

This chapter starts by exploring pipeline insecurity and vandalism in more depth. It explores the impact pipeline operation and vandalism have had on Bayelsa and its local communities through the lens of 20 industry professionals such as regulators, operators, security officials, and civil society organisations interviewed as part of this research project. The findings shed light on the underlying socio-economic, political, and environmental issues raised by the professional participants. 10 of the participants were drawn from the oil and gas sector and included company representatives, but also industry regulators. The other 10 participants are senior military and security officials working in the Joint Military Task Force in Bayelsa. More details about each of the participants can be found in Appendix D. Many of the issues raised in the interviews were also identified in the literature in earlier chapters (see Chapters 2, 3, and 4). As outlined in previous Chapters, participants were also asked about potential solutions. These solutions are explored towards the end of the book. As outlined in the methods chapter, critical discourse analysis continues to be used in this chapter. My interpretation of the conflicting narrative of the social events was informed by the way respondents narrated their experiences to me. A deeper analysis of various interpretations influenced the meanings I ascribed to the events of oil and gas pipeline vandalism and infrastructure insecurity in the Bayelsa-Nembe case study area.

This book chapter explores the issues of pipeline vandalism from the perspectives of Bayelsa communities. The book explores how communities view the issues and what they believe leads to pipeline vandalism. The findings of this chapter are based on 21 semi-structured interviews with professional civil society NGO representatives, environmental activists, community leaders, and high-profile community members. The community leaders and high-profile members were recruited because they could narrate and communicate the issues impacting the communities. I concentrated on community leaders and NGO professionals because of security reasons and due to the difficulty convincing the community member that there was no direct monetary benefit for the participants. Further details of the respondents can be found in the methodology chapter. These interviews provide deeper insights and perspectives into the impact of oil and gas activities on local communities. They shed further light on what motivates some youths to vandalise pipelines leading to insecurity problems in Bayelsa. The main themes that emerged from these interviews are; corruption and criminality, lack of socio-economic and political resources, environmental pollution, and community compensation and social injustice. The community respondents were asked about solutions to the problem of oil and gas infrastructure insecurity especially pipeline vandalism in Bayelsa. Most of these themes are broadly consistent with the issues raised within the wider literature (see Chapters 2, 3, and 5). Using the Critical Discourse Analysis tool, this chapter exhaustively establishes the similarities and dissimilarities between the views and language of the professional and community participants. See the method section in Chapter 4 for details about CDA and its application in qualitative research.

This chapter brings together the findings from the previous chapters and what has been learned about pipeline vandalism and oil and gas infrastructure insecurity in Nembe, Bayelsa, and the wider Niger Delta region in Nigeria. The evidence this book presents could be applicable and could be reasonably used to measure and gauge the socio-economic circumstances leading to tension and insecurity in oil and gas producing countries in the Global South. As noted, poverty, inequality, lack of opportunities, lack of political engagement, environmental degradation, poor infrastructure, lack of education, corruption, criminality, poor governance, and cursed leadership are some of the underlying factors that increase tensions and frustrations amongst local communities. These frustrations at times spill over into violence and criminality. This thesis explored the causes of onshore oil and gas pipeline infrastructure insecurity in Bayelsa state in the historic Niger Delta region of Nigeria focusing on the vandalism of the NCTL pipeline. The chapter argues that collective neglect of the local communities leads to collective anger and frustration in the communities which is part ingredient that leads to conflicts. This in turn provokes aggression against onshore oil and gas pipeline infrastructure. This manifests itself through increased vandalism of the pipelines. Continued pipeline vandalism is a manifestation of this collective state of affairs in Bayelsa-Nembe and the historic Niger Delta region.