Some very important individuals (VIPs) from Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, are allegedly responsible for oil theft in the Niger Delta, according to Senator Seriake Dickson, a representative for Bayelsa West.
Dickson said as much during a Friday interview on Channels Television.
The official system and oil firms, according to the two-term governor of Bayelsa State, profit from oil theft in the Niger Delta.
He claims that the lack of national principles leads individuals to use the resources of the country for their own benefit.
“The masterminds are from Abuja and Lagos, and the official system is neither innocent nor ignorant,” he declared. The official oil system, the official federal system, the official security system—the whole package. It’s an effective system.
How come Nigeria, a nation that has been producing and exporting oil for the past 70 years, doesn’t have a methodical system in place for measuring and documenting what is pumped, what goes missing, what is sold, and what isn’t sold? It’s also intentional.
It’s unfortunate that it has destroyed communities because there is an abundance of illegal money, weapons, and drugs. It has also fueled cultism because people want to win over young people’s allegiance in order to control areas where oil facilities are located. This is not unique to the Niger Delta.
“They require young men who are constantly high on drugs and weapons.” Do you really believe that a man who dismembers and cuts off a man’s head is normal? That means that those are drug users on the go.
According to him, there has to be a worldwide agreement that compels nations to denounce Nigerian crude oil theft.
To put an end to oil theft, Dickson urged the government at all levels to demonstrate a strong political resolve.
In Nigeria, the oil industry has been stealing large amounts of oil for years without keeping track of it.
Remember that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited said in 2022 that it had discovered an illicit oil connection that had been operating for nine years and had resulted in the loss of roughly 600,000 barrels of oil per day during that time.
There are allegedly 108,000 barrels of crude oil stolen every day in Nigeria. Nigeria is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which estimates that the nation loses 2.3 million barrels a month, or more than $1 billion.