The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), recently said, the country lost about $3.27 billion worth of crude oil to theft between January 2021 and February 2022.
According to NUPRC, “Average monthly value loss for the period is about $233.99 million. Average daily value loss for the period is about $7.72 million.
“Losses are mainly from Bonny Terminal Network, Forcados Terminal Network (and) Brass Terminal Network.”
The commission delineated factors that aided crude oil theft to include inadequate security, poor community engagement, economic challenges, poor surveillance, stakeholder compromises, and exposed facilities.
It said spillages and leakages were caused by activities of saboteurs affecting the source of livelihood of the community members and leading to environmental degradation.
It, however, noted that efforts are ongoing to mitigate crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, as a work team comprising the regulator and operators was set up in August 2021.
In a similar development, the Nigerian Navy said, it has seized about 6 million liters of petroleum products worth over N3 billion from oil thieves since it launched Operation Dakatar Da Barawo (OPDDB), also known as‘Stop the Thief’.
According to the Naval spokesperson, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, who said, in the first week of April, they arrested and seized about two hundred million naira, worth of petroleum products from oil thieves. And, this, he said, was a headway to end oil theft and illegal refining.
For a country whose oil industry generates about two-thirds of its revenue, theft is no small matter. Oil stolen from Nigeria and the money generated from it pollute markets and financial institutions overseas, posing reputational, political, and legal hazards.
Oil theft also endangers communities. Oil theft combines with the consequences of oil exploration to deepen the challenges communities face.
There is a common sense that, anywhere in the world where criminals are never caught or brought to justice for a long time, the government agents are directly involved or a cartel with powerful links to high profile politicians in government protecting the common interests of both parties is involved.
In the early 2000, NNPC mobilized military and MOPOL to assist to curb the menace but it was later discovered they were part of the problems too. It was nightmare for NNPC
To curb Oil theft or reduce it to the barest minimum, Nigeria needs to deploy this technology. The money to acquire this technology can be generated if we can significantly reduce the huge wastages by the three tiers of government and reengineer its processes to save cost and improve efficiency in delivery of their goals.
If the government means business, to stop the Oil Theft it should invite NNPC R&D division, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Multinational and National oil companies to meet and come up with solutions to annihilate this problem of oil theft that has wrecked our nation.
The Oil Theft can be decimated through combine use of Advanced Warning and Detection Technology, Policy and Judiciary.
The local vigilante group can be a useful catalyst in this drive for intelligence surveillance and information gathering. It is long overdue to overhaul the security of our national asset or gradually hit a total collapse and abuse of the nation’s oil industry.
