NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT IN RENEWED MOVES TO END CRUDE OIL THEFT

A Federal Government Delegation Which Include Officials Of The Ministry Of Petroleum Resources, The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Limited, And Security Forces Comprising The Army, Air force, Department Of State Services, And The Defence Ministry Have Visited The States In The Oil Rich Niger Delta Region, South South, Nigeria, On An Assessment Tour To Communities Identified As Hot Spots For The Illegal Activities Of Oil Theft In Nigeria.

Addressing The Press At Government House In Port Harcourt, After The Tour Of Crude Oil Theft Sites, Leader Of The Delegation, And Current Minister Of Defence, Muhammed Badaru, Said The Visit Was Informed By President Bola Tinubu’s Administration’s Desire To End Crude Oil Theft In The Country.

The Minister While Disclosing Some Of The Findings On Locations In Sites Of The Illegal Activities, Said, In One Of Such Locations, Illegal Connections Discovered Pipelines, Has A Capacity, Of Causing The Country A Revenue Loss, To The Tune Of 7.2Million Dollars Monthly.

On His Part, The Group Chief Executive Officer, Of The NNPC Ltd, Mele Kyari, Said The Country Has The Capacity Of Tracking Oil Theft Vessels, But Noted That Host Communities Have Significant Roles To Play In Curbing Such Illegal Activities Within Their Domains, Where Oil Facilities Are Domiciled.

The Delegation Who Took An Aerial View Of Communities In Owaza, Bille, Azuzuama, Ahoada, Rumuekepe, and Koko Communities Of Abia, Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo, And Delta, Observed An Array Of Dismantled Illegal Connections Of The Trans Niger Pipeline Right Of Way At Owaza In One Of The Ground Assessment Spots.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu Who Was Also Part Of The Government Delegation, Commended The NNPC Ltd, Government Security Forces, And Other Community Based Security Forces In Their Continued Efforts In The Ongoing Fight Against Crude Oil Theft In The Country.

Nigeria According To An Audit Report By The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, Estimates That A Total Of 619.7 Million Barrels Of Crude Oil Valued At 16.26 Million Naira, Or 46.16 Billion Dollars Was Lost By The Country, Between The Year 2009 To Year 2020, Arising From Crude Oil Theft.