Governors ‘ll Work With NNPC To Stop Crude Oil Theft– Fayemi

The Nigerian Governors Forum has vowed to work with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd to tackle the rising cases of crude oil theft in the country.

Ekiti State governor and chairman of NGF, Kayode Fayemi, disclosed this after a teleconference meeting of the Forum.

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The NGF is made up of governors from the 36 states of the federation.

The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr. 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.

Also, billionaire businessman, Tony Elumelu, had stated that the reason why the country had been unable to meet its oil production quota was not because of low investment but theft.

On Wednesday, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mr Mele Kyari, embarked on new initiative to deepen oil production in the country and effectively end illegal oil mining and associated threats in the sector.

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Kyari. alongside the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr Timipre Silva, and Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, stormed the forests and creeks in the Niger Delta to get first-hand information on cases of oil bunkering and illegal refineries.

The team which was joined by the Operation Delta Safe Joint Task Force went into the forest to see many sites where illegal refineries were being done with the security forces already shutting down many sites based on the order from the GMD.

The drive to end losses in the sector is informed by the government’s drive to ramp up production and boost foreign earnings for the country especially now that the Russian-Ukraine war has exposed the sector to high level of volatility.

In the first quarter of 2022, Nigeria failed again to meet the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, quota with 1.25 million barrels per day production from the estimated 1.8 million barrels per day.

However, the governors in their communique also vowed to protect the country’s oil infrastructure.

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

“State 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.”

Fayemi also said that the Forum remains concerned 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,” he said.

Fayemi further stated that the governors received a briefing on the ‘Nigerian Economy: New Perspectives’, from Dr. Doyin Salami, Chief Economic Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“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,” he stated.

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