Confronting the evils of oil theft

SIR: One of the greatest obstacles militating against Nigeria’s rapid progress is none other than oil theft.  Nigeria’s major sustenance is crude oil and from it, the main thrust of the funds needed to fuel the nation’s budget and economy is generated.  Although there has usually been ceaseless clamour for diversification into areas like agriculture and solid minerals so that Nigeria can move away from a mono economy, such desire, even though has resulted in some efforts being made in those laudable direction, is yet to yield the much anticipated results and crude oil still remains Nigeria’s major source of revenue.

That the theft of crude oil has continued unabated through the years is an issue which should be of paramount concern and interest to all well-meaning Nigerians. The question everyone should be bold to ask is who are the thieves that have sworn that Nigeria will not know peace? Because if the issue of oil theft is critically examined, it will come out very clearly that such thieves are the real enemies and the main cog in the wheels of Nigeria’s progress.

As we speak, Nigeria’s external debt, as at the last count, was put at N87 trillion while the current government has also begun its own spree of borrowings to finance both capital and recurrent projects while also struggling to service the humongous external debt already incurred most especially by the last administration. But in a situation where oil resources is being stolen with impunity, and even now that the problem has become hydra-headed, the nation continues to lose staggering sums of money to the enemies of the state, and hence handicapped in its quest to deliver good governance.

The problem has persisted all through the ages with Nigeria losing a whopping $46 billion (N116 trillion of oil revenue to crude oil theft). Anyone can easily imagine what successive Nigerian governments could have achieved with such large sum of revenue if it has accrued to the nation’s coffers.

The major problem Nigeria now faces is how to go about taking back what rightly belongs to the entire country from the hidden saboteurs whose activities in the creek is a major source of concern to the government and indeed all Nigerians. How then would any leader be able to stop the obviously powerful force from their fraudulent practices and unpatriotic operations which have been on for many decades?

According to one of the leaders of the Niger Delta militants, Asari Dokubo, in a recent interview, more than 90 per cent of the oil theft going on in the creeks are traceable to the military, the army and the Navy.

Such a bold declaration ought to be properly investigated because though it is still unsubstantiated, it is capable of painting the entire military in a bad light. For one thing, the military has never at any time left anyone in doubt as regards its total commitment and loyalty to the state. There is therefore the need to tread with caution in order to avoid whatever can cause disaffection between one party and another. Maybe it is a clarion call on the military to purge itself of undesirable elements who are out to tarnish its entire image.

It is gratifying to note, however, that the incumbent government has started taking some proactive steps towards wrestling the oil facilities from the hidden saboteurs. Indeed, the Nigerian government must deploy whatever method it can to tackle the menace of oil theft in the creeks because Nigeria is now in very dire straits and needs all the funds it can gather to cope with the onerous task of nation building especially in the face of massive infrastructural deficits and very large overhead costs amidst an almost outstretched loans accessibilities.
Jide Oyewusi, coordinator of Ethics Watch International, wrote in from Lagos.