Governors resolve to tackle crude oil theft menace

By Omotayo Edubi

Governors under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) have expressed worry over the rising crude oil theft in the country and have resolved to tackle the menace.

This was contained in a statement issued at the end of the teleconference meeting of the forum on Wednesday night, signed by Chairman of NGF and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi.

The governors, in the statement vowed to protect the country’s oil infrastructure.

The governors said “following a briefing by the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, highlighted the impact of the heightened spate of crude oil theft and losses in the Niger Delta.

“States Governors commended the role played by one of their own, the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Nyesom Wike in tackling the spate of oil bunkering in the Niger Delta and pledged to the NNPC in the region as well as security agencies in the country to protect the country’s oil infrastructure and investments as well as the ecosystem of the Niger Delta.”

Before now, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, had lamented the unprecedented rate of oil theft recorded in recent times and its debilitating effect on government revenue and accretion to reserves.

The chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, had also blamed the country’s lack of ability to meet its oil production quota on theft.

Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), had also said that the country lost about $2 billion worth of crude oil recently, owing to the activities of informal modular refinery operators.

“From our recent independent report in the oil and gas sector, Nigeria lost 53 million barrels worth over $2 billion in revenue losses, and this is about 674 million barrels that were produced in that year”, Executive Secretary of NEITi, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, had disclosed at the 2nd edition of the stakeholders’ engagement on the integration of modular/artisanal refinery operations in the oil and gas sector in Abuja, recently.

The Federal Government had in a bid to tackle this, set up a panel of experts to audit the activities of oil companies in the upstream petroleum industry in the last two years to ascertain the actual volume of crude oil stolen by vandals.

The Forum also expressed concerns about the impact of the state of insecurity on citizens’ safety, means of livelihood, and the exercise of the rights of Nigerians, particularly the right to life, right to movement, and ultimately the country’s socio-economic development.

“The Forum will consequently see that all States design and operationalize an action plan to strengthen inter-ministerial coordination on peace and security, including the establishment of peacebuilding agencies and a multi-level policing framework to combat the threat of insecurity in the country,” it said.

Following a briefing by Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, on the federal government’s plan to develop 100 oxygen generation plants and rehabilitate general hospitals to guarantee access to oxygen in all primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in the country, governors resolved to interface with the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure oxygen sufficiency for all PHCs in the country.

The Forum further stated that the governors received a briefing on the Nigerian Economy: New Perspectives, from Dr. Doyin Salami, Chief Economic Adviser to Mr. President.

“After which a consensus was reached to intensify economic diversification and food security initiatives including support for large scale all-season commercial farming; strengthening fiscal sustainability.

“By crowding in private investment; promoting the development of regional corridors and infrastructure plans; as well as curtailing the uncertainty associated with the oil and gas industry,” it said.