For many years the federal government of Nigeria has been battling with the activities of illegal bunkering. The battle was not yet won as the illegal bunkering has taken another dimension. The illegal bunkering business has become a monster threatening the oil sector which the economy of Nigeria depend on. The illegal bunkering has networks that are difficult to dismantle by the apparatus of the federal government. And the government many months ago embarked upon destruction of the illegal refineries across the Niger Delta region. The activities of oil thieves and illegal are not carried out by common Niger Delta people who are helplessly watching people tapping the natural resources from the land without resistance.
The oil sector is one of the sectors that are difficult to probe in Nigeria. And every effort made to probe the sector always met brick walls conspiracy. In oil sector, one activity can metamorphose into another terrible monster that will be difficult to handle. Oil is in exclusive list. Therefore, it has given rooms to under hand dealings or hanky-panky activities. It is difficult to really monitor what happen in the oil sector in Nigeria.
The Nigeria National Petroleum company is the door way between the oil companies and the federal government of Nigeria. The corruption deviling the country is attributed to oil industry.
Nigerians, especially people of Niger Delta are worried about illegal and life threatening activities that happen in the area.
It is also believed that every legal frame work advocated for the smooth operation of oil exploration and exploitation in Nigeria always face difficulties of implementation. The sector has caused night mare to innocent Nigerians as oil detects the economic state of many Nigerians. It worthy to note that reasonable quantity of crude oil is refined outside the shore of the country; thereby giving room to sky rocket prices of petroleum products in the country. Indeed, the local consumption rate is high and is affecting consumers who pay heavily to purchase the products. For instance, the federal government approved pump price of kerosene is fifty naira per litre. But it is unbelievable to see Nigerians buying kerosene exorbitantly in Nigeria. It is clear and true that the pump price of petrol is ninety seven naira per litre, and many filling stations are responding despite adjustment in some fillings stations. In the country, apart from the NNPC mega
fillings stations selling kerosene at approved pump price of fifty naira, no fillings station. Indeed, kerosene is sold above one hundred naira per litre.
The much publicized deregulation policy did not see the light of the day. And many millions and billions of naira have been spent to garner support for the policy. So many petroleum bills have suffered set back at the floor of the national assembly.
The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is undergoing series of unnecessary scrutiny Any bill that will expose the ills of the oil sector is truncated and played down. There no clear cut policy for the sector as everything without check and balance. As Nigerians are about to forget illegal bunkering and illegal fineries, the federal government has come up with another campaign know as war against oil thieves. It is pertinent to ask this question: can the poor man of the Niger Delta without ship engage in loading of crude oil to other countries? So many ships are involved in oil theft which the federal government has alerted the public about. The oil theft widely publicized by the federal is solely happening at the Niger delta region. The federal government has mobilized the military with size able ammunitions to fight against oil theft business in Nigeria. Nigerians need consistency in what the government is doing in the country. The illegal bunkering war has evolved into oil theft. As Joint Military Task Force (JTF) is assiduously working to fight oil theft there is need also to allow people to go about their normal businesses. There is need to sanitize the oil sector. But it must be done holistically to avoid another deadly threat in the sector. The oil theft policy should not be seen as a slogan to undermine the expectation of Nigerians by the federal government. There need for sincere approach to handle oil theft if such crime exist in the oil sector. When oil sector gets it right the federal government will get it right. No doubt about that: because oil detects pace of the economy. A lot of issues are untouched in the sector. It is unthinkable that some people will steal oil with impunity when people are not allowed to pass by pipe line that serves as path to communities.
The military who are commissioned to fight the monster called oil theft must as a matter of fact be transparent in engaging the oil thieves in this economic war. Some gun boats and helicopters have been deployed to the Niger Delta region to fight the menace. The solution to oil deepening crisis in Nigeria is transparency and genuine accountability of what accrues from the sector to the expectant citizens. Nigerians are tired of economic sabotage. In this dispensation there is need for thorough cleansing of sector. The military has been given as assignment that is tedious to handle. In other way, there is legislation that will give room to penalty for any defaulter. Enough is enough let there be an end oil theft in Nigeria.
Frank Eneawaji Ogwuonuonu
08028901682
