President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged to take the lead in the ongoing battle against oil theft in Nigeria’s Delta Creek, where a powerful oil cartel in Abuja is allegedly exploiting its influence to deprive the country of its vital resources.
According to a statement shared by Vanguard, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the Governor of Rivers State, accused the Federal Government of granting contracts for oil pipeline security and monitoring to either an individual or a select few, expressing his concern that this approach would not effectively combat oil theft.
During a visit to the Niger Delta facilities at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Governor Fubara emphasized that unless the Federal Government takes decisive action against the influential oil theft cartel in Abuja, efforts to address the economic challenges and criminal sabotage associated with oil theft would remain futile.
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He stated: “Entrusting the security of these routes to one person or a handful of individuals is not viable. For instance, it is impractical to expect someone from Calabar to oversee and monitor events in Ogba-Egbema. It simply won’t work, just as it won’t work to have someone from Ogba-Egbema lead Ogoni. We need to engage the leaders from these regions or host communities.”
Addressing the commitment of the Rivers State government to combat oil theft, Governor Fubara said, “We were among the first states to confront illegal bunkering, and we remain dedicated to collaborating with security agencies.”
And what breeds all this is unemployment and poverty. The big people in this oil Theft business are not from here (the operating environment). They are in Abuja and licensed. If they don’t encourage it, I don’t think it’s going to work. We have to not only work with the locals but also see what we can do to really curb the big ones who are sitting in Abuja.
