By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri has expressed displeasure over the increasing cases of oil theft in the Niger Delta.
He said that the implications of oil theft in the area will be severe if not properly stopped.
He said this in Yenagoa, when he received a delegation led by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva recently.
He lamented that oil theft, which also affects government at all levels, had denied the locals their means of livelihood, stressing that if it was not stopped or reduced drastically, the implications would be grave.
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His words: “The federal and state governments largely depend on oil. So, oil theft does not affect only the Federal Government, it affects us as a state government and the local governments. We have spoken about this over and over and we will continue to say it.
“We are talking about our environment that has been brazenly polluted through illegal oil bunkering activities. If you go to our communities, you will see oil floating on our rivers, and that has led to the locals not having a means of livelihood. It has led to unknown diseases and sicknesses.
“There is a spiral effect of oil theft that is going on in the Niger Delta and it affects the communities and the people. So, I welcome you and I assure you that we will collaborate to ensure that oil theft is brought to an end.”
The governor in a statement called for urgent actions to end the ugly trend in the interest of the region and the country at large.
In his remarks, Sylva said the Federal Government delegation was in the state to seek collaboration to end oil theft in the Niger Delta.
He said the stealing of oil was going on at an alarming rate and should no longer be allowed given its negative effect on the economy of the country.
