Federal government, security agencies, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited have resolved to partner with the governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma and oil producing communities in the state to ensure that the fight against pipeline vandalism and oil theft is won.
At a stakeholders meeting held at the New Executive Chambers of the Government House, Owerri, yesterday, Governor Uzodimma described the consequences of crude oil theft as ‘’very alarming and too much to be tolerated.’’
He said the problem had not only led to the drop in earnings for the government but has also created environmental pollution and other health hazards.
The meeting was part of industry wide intervention to curb crude oil theft in Nigeria. It afforded the governor the opportunity to host a high powered delegation comprising the minister of state for petroleum resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, the minister of state education, Hon Goodluck Nana Opiah, the chief of defence staff, General Lucky Irabor and the group MD/CEO NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari and other stakeholders of Imo State that include traditional rulers and representatives of oil producing community.
The governor expressed worries by stakeholders over banditry and oil theft in the South East and Imo State in particular and thanked the armed forces for their concerted efforts in the fight against the crime in the past years.
On the suggestion to engage private security contractors, the governor described the idea as ‘’a delicate one,’’ noting that “for such to take place the Nigeria Security Agencies must take interest and profile the security contractors to ascertain their genuineness before engaging them.”
Earlier, the minister of state for petroleum resources, Timipre Sylva said that “the problem of crude oil theft has reached a level of national emergency” and that “the situation cannot be handled in Abuja alone.”
The minister said, “It is a national emergency because the theft has grown wings and has reached a very bad crescendo. This is because the thefts are taking place in the communities that host the oil pipelines and as a result, it has become necessary to involve the stakeholders, especially the host communities.”
Sylva said Nigeria loses over 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day to oil thieves.
The government delegation led by Sylva also met with the Bayelsa State governor Douye Diri on the need for collaboration to tackle the menace.
The delegation included the chief of defence staff, General Lucky Irabor and NNPC Ltd group managing director, Mele Kyari.
Sylva said the team was in the state to seek collaboration with the state government to end oil theft in the Niger Delta. He lamented that 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.
General Irabor said the military has heightened operational engagements to stop criminal activities in the region. He said activities of oil thieves was bleeding the nation and called on those involved in the act of sabotage to have a rethink, failing which the military will clamp down on them.
Also, the group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, said the country was facing a dire situation that is not just affecting the economy but also the environment.
He said the importance of collaborative efforts with states in the region cannot be over-emphasised as only one tier of government cannot do it alone.
Earlier in his speech, Governor Diri remarked that oil theft has seriously affected the environment and image of the region negatively, and called for urgent actions to end the ugly trend in the interest of the region and the country at large.
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