EVERY nation is endowed with natural resources that are capable in sustaining the people and also procure technologies that would ensure their independence in the comity of nations. We are well aware of nations that could boast of a commodity, which have been exploited for the benefit of the people and the nation as a whole. Nigeria on the other hand could boast of myriads of resources in abundant supply which had been neglected, siphoned or stolen to the detriment of the nation and citizens but to the advantage of known thieves, parties and exploiting nations. However, of all resources, the crude oil, Nigeria’s black gold had been siphoned for so long a time without the apprehension of the thieves, buyers and blood merchants.

THE HOPE gathered that  Nigeria lost more than $3.3bn (£2.9bn) to crude oil theft since 2021so much more that she hardly meets her allotted OPEC quota. It is interesting to note that the federal government on Monday revealed that about 100,000 barrels of crude were being stolen everyday. Within a period of eleven years, oil exportation in Nigeria has fallen from 2.5million barrels per day to less than a million barrels per day in August 2022.Also, between July and August this year, Nigeria had lost about 3.5million barrels of crude oil within a month. At an average global price of Brent of $100 per barrel, Nigeria loses billions of dollars monthly to thieves. The PENGASSAN President therefore was not wrong to have asserted that “if we (Nigeria) are able to produce up to 1.9mbpd, we don’t have any need to go borrowing…” in order to finance our budgets. The effects of the borrowing on the national and individual economy is so massive that Nigeria(ns) have become internationally certified beggars.

UNFORTUNATE and sadly too, the Nigerian government cannot claim ignorance of the thieves and conspirators that have connived to drain the nation’s commonwealth. There are palpable insinuations, which THE HOPE is set to believe that the conspiracy to ground the nation’s economy is the brain child of the ruling class. Mr. Government Ekpemupolo, known as Tompolo, who was given the multibillion naira contract of salvaging and securing the nation’s pipeline had insisted that “… many of the security people are involved because there is no way you can load a vessel without settling the security people in that region,” We also recall that since 2019 till now, Mr. Nyesom Wike, the Governor of Rivers State had accused high ranking army commander, police, and Naval officers as being the brain behind the nefarious heists of our commonwealth.

UNFORTUNATELY, rather than build on these intelligence reports, identify and prosecute the accused officers, the men in uniforms were quick to burn a vessel apprehended for stealing 650,000 litres of stolen crude oil in Delta state, thereby destroying evidence of the heist. We also find it embarrassing that in a country where the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces doubles as the Minister of Petroleum, thieves in Delta state, were able to build their own 4km- (2.5 mile) long pipeline through the heavily guarded creeks to the Atlantic Ocean and load stolen crude oil on Nigeria’s open waters.

WHILE Henry Adimula, of the Petroleum Training Institute had hinted that the institute had developed an oil anti-theft integrated monitoring system to effectively monitor pipelines, THE HOPE insists on the probing of oil thefts in Nigeria. We are cocksure that just as the Federal Government is aware of the hideouts and identities of Bandits in Nigeria, intelligence reports at the disposal of the Minister for Petroleum resources would have identified the culprits engaged in the impoverishment of the nation. Also, for Tompolo and his men to have accurately identified specific areas of pipeline vandalism, and vessels used for the nefarious activities, information would be at his disposal on who the vandals are.

THE call for the probe of oil thefts also dovetails into our candid request that the NNPC, who are custodians of this national wealth, should also be probed intently. We are sure that the induced poverty experienced in the nation is the handiwork of crooks in high places in Nigeria. Anything short of the probe of the NNPC, security Chiefs, organisations, the Maritime industry and the local heads of host communities would be mere propaganda and continual waste of the nation’s resources. For the Minister of Petroleum resources to come clean of this brazen heist, definite individuals as is being done by NDLEA and EFCC must be arrested and brought to book.

UNFORTUNATELY, over the years, criminals have held government by the jugular, making them to negotiate rather than prosecute.  The sovereignty of Nigeria is at stake if Government is continually cowed by criminals of limited force. For us at THE HOPE, the best legacy that a government that is fast losing the goodwill of the people could do at this crucial moment is to deeply probe the NNPC, and the theft of our Crude Oil, and also punish the culprits severely. The time to rescue our commonwealth is now. For Nigeria, it is either probe and prosecute or perish.