The Nigeria Citizens Watch for Good Governance, a civil society group, has petitioned the Nigerian Senate to investigate the barrels of crude oil produced in the country daily.
The organisation alleged discrepancies in the figures announced by Mele Kyari, group managing director/CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd (NNPCL). Kyari recently said the production stood at approximately 1.6 million barrels per day. But the organisation noted allegations suggesting the actual figure might be closer to two million barrels per day.
The organisation has also sent a similar petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
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In the petition, signed by Collins Eshiofeh, its national president, and Mohammed Grema Adamu, the secretary general, the group urged the National Assembly to urgently investigate these discrepancies. They called for the involvement of the GMD of NNPCL, all international oil companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria, and other relevant stakeholders to verify the barrels of crude produced daily. The organisation emphasised the need for the NNPCL to adopt modern technology to accurately monitor and report crude oil production.
The petition further highlighted the irony of the continued decline in Nigeria’s crude oil production despite the presence of various security outfits, including the civil defence, military, and private contractors, supposedly guarding national assets.
They questioned the effectiveness of these security measures in preventing oil theft and vandalism, which have been cited as reasons for the decline.
The organisation also called on the EFCC, ICPC, and other relevant anti-corruption agencies to address any discrepancies in the declared figures to ensure transparency and accountability in the oil sector. They stressed the importance of accurate reporting to meet Nigeria’s OPEC allocation and to prevent revenue leakages.
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