Lagos (Platts)--15May2008

The Nigerian government has lost an estimated Naira 150 billion ($1.3
billion) in revenue as a result of arson attacks on petroleum products
pipelines over the past eight years, according to a report submitted to
parliament by the state-owned Pipelines and Products Marketing Company.

PPMC, a subsidiary of the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.,
recorded a total of 12,770 cases of tantalization of fuel pipelines between
2000 and 2007, the daily Punch newspaper reported Thursday.

The report said the highest number of incidents was recorded in 2006,
with 3,674 cases resulting in lost revenue totaling Naira 36.646 billion.
The PPMC maintains a 5,120 km pipeline network linking 22 fuel depots and
24 pump stations across the country.

Attacks on its pipelines have forced greater reliance on trucks to
distribute petroleum products to the country's more than 140 million people.
Truck drivers on Tuesday issued an ultimatum to the government to
rehabilitate the country's dilapidated roads.