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FG intensifies efforts to curb $6b yearly loss to pipeline vandalism

By on March 11, 2013

The Federal Government at the weekend stepped up efforts to curb the spate of petroleum pipeline vandalism that cost the nation an estimated $6 billion annually.

Already, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deizani Alison-Madueke has promised a robust and aggressive action to tackle the menace.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after a closed-door meeting with security chiefs and maritime administrators, Mrs. Alison-Madueke lamented that trading in the country’s stolen oil has an international dimension.

The Minister had two weeks ago during the 2013 Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference said government was working out a way of finger printing its crude.

She said: “Within the last one year we have seen periods when, with the oil stakeholders working together, we have been able to reduce the incidence of crude oil theft. But as it continues to be a menace in our country, and it affects directly our economy, it has become necessary for stakeholders to come together and re-strategise on what to do, so that we focus in a very robust and aggressive manner on this particular scourge that is directly affecting our economy in more ways than one. This is just one of a series of meetings and discuss that is being held over this period of time and will continue to be held.”

Continuing, she assured that “very, very robust and implementable actions are coming out of this discuss, and they will cover the short and medium term, and we expect to see aggressive and fairly quick results out of some of the actions, and others will look at the medium and long term for the country in terms of protection of our core and critical national assets in the oil and gas sector.”

She assured: “We will continue with this discuss and we will expect to update you with mini briefs as we go along. And we will also continue to engage more and more stakeholders in the various aspects of this particular incident some of which will be international stakeholders as well. The issue of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalisation is a many faceted one”.

The Minister described the problem as a complex one that cannot be addressed superficially, because “it is not a surface issue that can be addressed with superficial projects. It is actually a very complex issue that has gone on for many, many years but it does have to be addressed from many angles at the same time as we go along. So I thank you for coming and we will certainly keep you updated in the next few weeks as we go along with this.”

Present at the meeting were Minister of Transport, Idris Umar; Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dele Ezeoba; Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi; the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, represented by a high-ranking police official.

 

[Daily Independent]