In order to combat oil theft and illegal refineries in Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) on Wednesday strengthened its collaboration with the Joint Security Task Force and other stakeholders.
While speaking at an assessment tour of some illegal refineries in Rivers State along with some top government officials, Malam Mele Kyari, the group managing director of NNPC, said, “the combined efforts of government security and regulatory agencies, the host community, and oil companies represented a new approach to combating oil theft and bunkering.”
In this light, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reported that officials of NNPC, regulatory agencies, and a joint task force comprising personnel of security agencies were part of the assessment tour.
These individuals include Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Chief of Defence Staff, and Gbenga Komolafe, the Commission Chief Executive of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), as well as officials from various oil companies.
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NAN reports also indicated that many illegal sites at creeks and swampy areas were assessed from aerial view, while a site located at Ibaa Community in Eme Oha Local Government Area; Rivers was thoroughly assessed by the officials.
Correspondingly, Komolafe described the situation as a natural disaster, adding that there were clear regulations guiding people who genuinely wanted to do upstream business in the country.
“This is absolute criminality, on the part of the government, if any Nigerian wants to participate in upstream activity, they can contact the regulatory body for guidance,” Komolafe said.
In addition, kyari also said that, “the pipeline vandalism, oil theft and illegal refining activities were threatening the growth of the country’s oil and gas industry.
“The Nigerian Navy was also doing enormous work and has made several arrests and equally prevented illegal movement of oil through the vessels.”
However, the NNPC boss expressed optimism about the organization’s determination to solve the problem, emphasizing the importance of increased security on the ground and modern technology to combat the threat.
