News Analysis

Saving Economy Being Bled by Crude Oil Theft

By Web News 802

By Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

 Nigeria is a known agrarian economy nation before the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity in a village called Oloibiri in present day Bayelsa state and in the Niger Delta in 1956.

According to the Organization of Petroleum Export Countries (OPEC), Nigeria currently has the world’s tenth largest crude oil reserves and is the world’s thirteenth-largest producer of crude oil.

Based on this rating which makes Nigeria the largest oil producer on the continent, oil revenue has played a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s economy, accounting for a significant portion of its national income to finance its annual budget as it is usually calculated by the price of the crude oil at the international market.

It is now so unfortunate that the expectation of the nation based on international oil market permutation is repeatedly dashed as most time either due to the crash in crude oil price or inability to export enough to finance its budget thus resorting to borrowing.

Although it is beyond the nation to control the oil price, it can control the quantity being exported which is being confronted by a major problem that is, crude oil theft.

Crude oil theft in Nigeria is a complex and multifaceted issue which involves the illegal extraction, refining, and smuggling of crude oil and petroleum products, often perpetrated by organized criminal networks.

The thieves employed various tactics such as pipeline vandalism, illegal bunkering, and even direct attacks on oil installations, to steal and divert oil for their personal gain.

Various investigations have revealed that 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at 46.16 billion dollars equivalent to 16. 25 trillion naira were stolen between 2009 and 2020.

Recently, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) disclosed that Nigeria recorded a total of 240 crude oil theft incidents in one week.

According to NNPCL, between the 15th and 21st July 2023, oil theft incidents were recorded at various parts of the Niger Delta.

 One of such cases was reported in July this year when a private security contractor, Tantita Security Services intercepted a suspicious vessel with a cargo of crude oil on board.

This persistent problem of oil theft has had severe consequences on the Nigerian economy, hindering growth, fostering corruption, and depriving the nation of much-needed resources for development.

It has also resulted to revenue loss, budget constraints and fiscal instability not only that, it has led to environmental degradation.

Most time, the proceeds from oil theft are often allegedly used to fund criminal activities, including insurgency, terrorism, and other forms of organized crime resulting in the security challenges being faced in some parts of the country.

To address this menace, federal government should strengthen the security measures around oil facilities and installations to prevent further theft of crude oil.

There is also the need to collaborate with international partners to frustrate activities of the syndicates which could be done through information sharing, capacity building and joint surveillance.

Above all, engaging local communities and providing alternative livelihood options can help reduce their reliance on oil theft for income generation.

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Crime

Bayelsans Invade Warehouse, Loot Foodstuffs

By Web News 435

A private warehouse in the Kpansia area of Yenagoa used by the Bayelsa State government to store foodstuffs and other materials was on Sunday invaded by some residents of the state capital who carted away food items and other items.

The items included bags of rice and garri as well as cartons of noodles and bottled water, and they were said to be part of the relief materials donated by some concerned Nigerians during the 2022 flood disaster in the state.

It was learnt that the incident occurred at about 7:30 pm, even as some of the residents stormed the warehouse located along the Isaac Boro Expressway with pick-up vans and private vehicles to move the foodstuffs away, most of which had already gone bad.

While the looting was going on, the state government deployed men from its security outfit called Doo Akpo to disperse the residents and secure the building.

The state government expressed surprise and concern over the invasion of the premises of the privately owned warehouse and described the incident as unwarranted, saying the food items were remnants being gathered for disposal as they were no longer fit for human consumption.

A statement issued by the State Emergency Management Agency, on Monday, said the incident happened at 7:45 pm on Sunday after the Director-General of BYSEMA, Walamam Igrubia, and some personnel of the agency had left the warehouse premises

The statement read in part, “During the 2022 flood in the state, the Agency used the warehouse to store food items.

“As part of preparations for an impending flood this year, the DG visited the premises, and in his presence, remnants of food items, notably rice and garri that were no longer fit for consumption, were cleared from the warehouse and placed outside for disposal the next day.

“The remnants, which were swept from the floor and packed in disused bags, were less than 10 bags of rice and garri and with some broken cans of oil. For emphasis, BYSEMA states that these items were not fresh food palliatives and were not hoarded by the Agency or the state government.

“Importantly, these items are unfit for human consumption and a responsible, caring government like ours will not give Bayelsans such items as palliatives. In essence, there were really no food items to loot. So, those who carted away the unfit items are please advised in their own interest not to consume them.”

The BYSEMA equally condemned the action of the yet-to-be-identified persons who invaded the warehouse premises, and “the attempt to politicise the incident by opposition elements in the state, who seek to score cheap political points from the ugly occurrence.”

It assured people of the state of its preparedness to handle the distribution of palliatives provided by the Federal Government as part of efforts to cushion the effects of its fuel subsidy removal policy as well as the fallout of impending flooding this year.

Punch/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Human Angle

Two Lost Sao Tome Fishermen Rescued in Bayelsa

By Web News 548

Two fishermen identified as Antonio Sabino and Osorio Pires from Neves in the SaôTomē and Principe were on Sunday rescued in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Southern Nigeria, five days after they got lost in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Portuguese-speaking fishermen were said to have been rescued by a trawler fishing around the Gulf of Guinea and handed over to some fishermen from Okpoama-Brass who ferried them ashore.

The Sao Tomeans were thereafter taken to the Okpoama Divisional Police Headquarters and received by the officer in charge, Ebimiesigha Bebetu, a Chief Superintendent of Police.

The Chairman of the Okpoama Kingdom Security Committee, Munalayefa William-Sinte said the fishermen looked malnourished but they were fed and clothed before handover to the police.

According to him, the fishermen were visibly afraid but were assured of their safety with sign language before the police took custody of them.

William-Sinte also said that a fisherman from Ilaje in Ondo State but a resident in Okpoama had been missing for over a week, adding that his colleagues have been searching the ocean for him for days now.

The Bayelsa State Police Command has confirmed the rescue of the two Sao Tome and Principe fishermen some 50 nautical miles off the Atlantic Ocean on July 2, 2023.

A statement issued by the spokesman for the command, Asinim Butswat, on Monday, said the Divisional Police Officer, Okpoama Division, took custody of them.

It said, “The two fishermen, Antonio Sabino ‘m’ 52 years and Osorio Pires ‘m’ 41 years from Neves in SaôTomē and Principe got lost in the Atlantic Ocean for five days before being rescued by a Captain of a fishing trawler.

“The Police authorities have established contact with a coastguard officer from Saô Tomē and Principe and are making a concerted effort to reunite them with their family.”

It would be recalled that in 2019, the decomposing bodies of two male fishermen were found in a fishing boat that drifted ashore in Okpoama from Saọ̄ Tomē and Principe.

Punch/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

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Yoruba

Ati wọlé sílé ẹ̀kọ́ ìmọ̀ nọ́ọ̀si: Iléesẹ́ olóògun òfurufú sèkìlọ̀ fáràlú nítorí àwọn oníjìbìtì

By Web News 524

Iléèsẹ́ olóogun ofurufu ilẹ̀ yí ti sèkìlọ̀ fáwọn ọmọ orílẹ̀èdè yí tó n lépa àti wọlé sílé ẹ̀kọ́ gíga ìmọ̀ nọ́ọ̀si pé kí wọ́n sọ́ra kí wọn ma báà bọ́ sọ́wọ́ àwọn oníjìbìtì.

Ìkìlọ̀ yí ló wáyé nípa ayédèrú ìwé ìgbaniwọlé sílé ẹ̀kọ́ náà tó ń lọ káàkiri orí ẹ̀rọ ayélujára.

Olùdarí ètò ìròyìn ọ̀hún kéde olú iléésẹ́ oloogun ofurufu ilẹ̀ yí, Air Comadar Edward Gabkwet ló sọ ọ̀rọ̀ yí di mímọ̀ nínú àtljáde tó fi síta nílu Abuja.

Gẹ́gẹ́ bí Air Commander Gabkwet se wí, ẹni tó wà nidi ayédèrú ìwé ìgbaniwọlé sílé ẹ̀kọ́ nọ́ọ̀si tó jẹ́ tiléésẹ́ ologun ló sọ̀rọ̀ di mímọ̀ fún àwọn tó fẹ́ lù ní jìbìtì pé kí wọ́n san ẹgbẹ̀rún mẹẹdogun àti ẹẹdẹgbẹta naira sí ọfììsì akọ̀wé àgbà ilé ẹ̀kọ́ náà.

Ó wá sàlàyé ẹ̀dùn ọkàn rẹ̀ wípé bí wọ́n se ń laago ìkìlọ̀ náà tó ọ̀pọ̀ aráalu ló tún ń bọ̀ sọwọ àwọn oníjìbìtì ẹ̀dá yi.

Ó wá sọ abẹdaju pé, ileesẹ oloogun ofurufu ilẹ̀ yí ríì dájú pé wọ́n fi kéde fún gbé oníjìbìtì náà pẹ̀lú gbogbo àwọn abẹsinkawọ rẹ, tí wọ́n yóò si fara gbegba òfin.

Babatunde Salaudeen

Politics

Tribunal Affirms Duoye Diri’s Election as Bayelsa Governor

By Web News 670

Bayelsa Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the election of Senator Duoye Diri as Bayelsa State Governor.

The three-man panel took the decision on Saturday a month after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal filed by a former aspirant of the Bayelsa governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Timi Alaibe, challenging the candidacy of Senator Diri in the November 2019 election.

In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Owodunni, the tribunal held that the petition filed by mister Owei Woniwei of the Alliance for Democracy is incompetent and lacks merit.

The Tribunal further held that the petitioner failed to prove the allegations of the forged declaration of age and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharged certificate levelled against the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence.

Senator Duoye Diri, who came second in the last year’s governorship election in the state, was declared the elected governor of the state in a subsequent Supreme Court judgment disqualifying the All Progressives Congress’s candidate David Lyon who earlier emerged the winner of the poll

FRCN Abuja