PINL Announces Scholarships, Other CSR Packages for 215 Host Communities

Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), the surveillance contractor for the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), has launched a broad Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative targeting 215 host communities across Abia, Bayelsa, Imo, and Rivers States.

The initiative includes scholarships for students, food palliatives, medical outreaches, and vocational training aimed at supporting education, improving healthcare, enhancing livelihoods, and strengthening community involvement in pipeline protection.

Deborah Okunbo, Chief Executive Officer of Learn & Leadwise Resources Limited, PINL’s CSR consultant, said the programme will run for nine months and was developed after extensive consultations with traditional rulers, community development committees, youth, and women leaders.

She said the initiative is part of the company’s commitment to fostering collaboration with host communities and reducing pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.

“As a company, we believe development must be inclusive and participatory. This intervention is to appreciate the cooperation of the host communities and to further encourage their support in safeguarding the pipelines from vandalism, crude oil theft, and illegal bunkering,” she stated.

Scholarship awards will be offered to qualified students from the affected communities, while hundreds of residents will be enrolled in vocational training covering livestock farming, makeup artistry, cash crop cultivation, and hairdressing.

The trainees will receive certification from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Food palliatives including rice, beans, garri, and biscuits have been distributed to vulnerable families, while residents affected by flooding received additional items such as mattresses and household supplies.

Community leaders welcomed the initiative, with representatives from Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State urging more youth empowerment programmes.

“Empowerment leads to peace, and we’re seeing that PINL understands that,” a local leader said.

The company stated that the initiative also aims to create a stronger sense of local ownership over oil infrastructure. Hundreds of youths have already been engaged as pipeline surveillance personnel, contributing to a reported reduction in crude oil theft and improved output along the pipeline corridor.

PINL noted that its efforts have helped increase daily oil production from 0.9 million barrels to 1.7 million barrels in the areas under its surveillance.

The company pledged to continue working closely with host communities to ensure sustainable development and infrastructure protection.

The CSR initiative is part of a broader effort by stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector to build stronger ties with host communities and enhance the security of national oil assets through inclusive engagement and economic empowerment.