The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd, Malam Mele Kyari, has called for a special court to try crude oil theft cases in the country.
Kyari made the call while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream.
“I will recommend that we set up a special court for this so that such cases would be quickly dealt with.
“It is not just the small persons that you see at those locations that are prosecuted. We know that to sell crude oil on the international market it is not the business of the ordinary people that you see in these illegal refinery settings.
“It is an elitist business and we must have the courage to set up a very independent special court to try cases related to these,” Kyari told the lawmakers.
Persecondnews.com recalls that the NNPC boss recently expressed concern over Nigeria’s inability to increase crude oil production due to the massive activities of oil thieves.
According to Kyari, the country’s total crude oil production is less than 1.5 million barrels per day occasioned by the worsening cases of large-scale oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.
He noted that oil theft has affected development of the oil sector which should have been aided by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
He said: “It is a difficult circumstance for the industry and that is why despite the good intention and the provisions of the PIA — no one will produce oil and recover zero income and put the money back into the business.
“That is why investments are very weak despite the good physical environment that the PIA has brought.
“I have had the privilege to answer questions around investment climate in very many international platforms. And they will tell you: ‘If we bring our money how are you sure they will not steal the oil’.
“It is very difficult to give a straight answer. Of course, what we are doing now will contain it and will bring stability back with all the effort of all of us.
“I’m not sure we are short of legislation. It is life imprisonment for the attack on these facilities so there are laws to support these.”
On advocacy, Kyari also said: “What we need to do is to increase the advocacy so that the legal process gets its course, and prosecutions are done timely.
“Otherwise the impact today it has on our overall economic outlook, our ability to improve foreign exchange and also in terms of energy security for this country is threatened by very few people.
“Clearly, they are very few if you look at the scale of what is going on.”
The NNPC GMD also disclosed that relevant regulatory agencies and security agencies are collaborating with the company to ensure that the menace is contained.
“It is not beyond us. I’m very confident that the leadership being given by the Chief of Defence Dtaff alongside his service chiefs is paying off.
“We will have some sanity and we are also working on sustainability.”
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