– Seeks decentralization for effective oil theft policy
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A Transparency group, the Pan-African Economic and Financial Security Initiative, has written to President Bola Tinubu over the controversy trailing the renewal of the $1.3 billion dollars pipeline surveillance contracts thereby calling for a review and decentralization of the contract for effective anti-crude oil theft campaign.
According to the national coordinator of the group, Samuel Chukwu, President Tinubu should review the contracts awarded to a few individuals from Delta state when there are capable leaders across the various states in the Niger Delta region that can get better results.
Chukwu, in a statement issued via electronic mail argued that the review is urgently needed because the nation’s economic and financial security is at stake.
He disclosed that key data about Nigeria’s crude oil exports from OPEC and other sources clearly reveal that Nigeria was producing and exporting more crude oil before the over $1.3 billion dollars pipeline surveillance contracts were awarded to these selected individuals, and during the one-year contract period, our production and sales of crude oil decreased.”
“For example, Nigeria’s crude oil exports was reported at 1,388.260 barrel/day in December 2022. This records a decrease from the previous year’s higher number of 1,592.333 barrels/day for December 2021. Nigeria crude oil production was reported at 1,255.000 barrel/day in July 2023. This records a decrease from the previous year’s higher number of 1,295.000 barrels/day for June 2022. Nigeria crude oil production data is updated monthly with a record low of only one million barrels per day in September 2022.”
“Mr. President, Nigerians are calling on you to act decisively and quickly to save our nation because this is beyond minor sabotage with a few persons using buckets and drums to steal crude oil in the Niger Delta, we believe that our nation’s oil wealth are being siphoned by nefarious actors in millions of barrels on a daily basis. For example, between 2013 and 2015, illegal crude oil bunkering and fighting in the Niger Delta was higher than today, yet we were producing between 1.9 million to 2 million barrels per day. How come Nigeria can’t produce even 1.6 million barrels now that there is no crisis and sabotage is at an all time low in the region, NNPC should answer these question” he said.
While advocating for a decentralization of the contracts which is to be awarded by different leaders across the different states for the security of our nation’s assets, he lamented the sorry state of the refineries despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent on its rehabilitation.