Providing Infrastructure In Niger Delta Will Curb Oil Theft – Emami

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State and Warri chief, Ayiri Emami, has said the provision of basic social amenities and other conveniences for Niger Delta communities will end oil theft and pipeline vandalism faster.

Emami told State House correspondents on Monday after meeting with President Bola Tinubu on a number of issues affecting his homeland in Warri that “I don’t I think fighting all these criminality issues without putting in proper infrastructure will work, it won’t work. But telling the president you need to do this as in view of some of us coming out to agitate strongly to tell our brothers that there is no need to go into breaking of pipelines.”

The APC chieftain, who is also a big player in the oil and gas sector, said oil theft has drastically reduced as a result of the efforts of the communities in the state.

Asked how the oil producing communities are collaborating with the federal government to nip oil theft in the bud, he said the efforts of relevant stakeholders in the area has contributed to the drastic reduction of oil theft.

“Currently I know from Delta I can speak around Delta State that the issue of oil theft is drastically going down, it has reduced to about 80% to 90% because the company handling the job at the moment and some of us are involved and the job is being handled properly.

“To some extent, we’re doing good in Delta and some of these communities, the actors are being carried along. But we still want them to do more. Not just giving contracts these people need good road, good water, electricity, good hospital.

“But we just need to do that, we just need to fix the communities because that is the place that lays the golden eggs but if you go to that place, it is like hell. I really do my things in different ways; I go with protests. I will not encourage anybody to go and break federal government facility or to go and break pipe,’’ he said.