By Raphael Ekpang
The Senator representing Delta North in the Senate, Ned Munir Nwoko has assured Nigerians that the current 10th assembly will exposed oil thefts at the Niger Delta region. He marveled why all these while the thefts have not been identified even when the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) has the capacity to monitor the area from their control room.
Senator Nwoko made this known on Tuesday when he move a motion titled “Urgent Need to Investigate the Incessant and Nefarious Acts of Crude Oil Theft in the Niger Delta and the Actors”
While moving the motion on the floor of the Senate he said, that Nigeria is largely dependent on crude oil for it’s economic growth and development. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the oil sector contributed 66.33 percent of the national GDP which translates to 545.6 billion in 2022.
He also noted that the Oil sector plays a pivotal role in providing employment opportunities for millions of Nigerian citizens and account for 70 percent of it’s budget financing while Oil and Gas made up 90 percent of export income and 85 percent of Government revenue in the first quarter of the 2022.
He further stated that statistical data which has been reported over the years even till date, have shown that pipeline vandalism, oil bunkering, has brought Nigeria into serious socio-economic crisis, and this remains an intraceable challenge to the Nigerian oil dependent economy.
However, he intimated his colleagues that the crude oil thefts started at about the late 1970s and early 1980s under the military regime.
Meanwhile, Senator Nwoko highlighted the persistence of oil theft in the Niger Delta region, despite efforts by military personnel, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Department of State Services (DSS) efforts to curb the menace.. He pointed out collusion between individuals in security forces, militia groups, local communities, and certain employees within oil companies, leading to the thriving illegal activity.
In a chat with newsmen, ,Senator Nwoko emphasized the importance of identifying and apprehending the culprits involved in oil theft. He questioned the difficulties faced by NNPCL in identifying these individuals.
According to him, “the individuals responsible for these illegal activities must be name, whether they are Nigerians or otherwise. The motion has been assigned to relevant committees for further action.”
Senator Nwoko was emphatic about the destruction of the vessels by these group of hoodlums which he said was has always polluted the environment of the hosts communities whi of course he represented at the national assembly.
“Who say the people cannot be identified, we have to name them and shame them, their activities are effecting my people because when the set vessels ablaze it causing environmental degradation, so we must end this trend now,” he said.
