The Community Development Committees (CDC) of Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas have called for a more direct intervention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in tackling the scourge of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region.
The group made the call on Tuesday, February 13 when its Board of Trustees, led by the Chairman, Joseph Ambakederimo paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede at the corporate headquarters of the Commission.
Ambakederimo noted that oil theft in the Niger Delta has caused huge disruption to the country’s economic forecasts and negatively impacted the national economy.
“Oil theft and vandalization of oil infrastructure are issues of economic sabotage and a threat to national security. The EFCC is empowered by law to deal with economic saboteurs. We urge the Commission to give adequate attention to this threat to our environment in the Niger Delta and the economic sabotage of our country by adopting preventive measures and diligent prosecution of culprits”, he said.
He decried the involvement of oil-producing communities in oil theft, stressing that a national conference may be needed to address the issue. “Community involvement in oil theft should be a cause for worry to every patriotic Nigerian. The complicity and conspiracy of silence by well-meaning individuals is even more troubling. This menace at some point affects everyone. We advocate for a more robust national discourse on this existential threat of our time,” he said.
Responding, the EFCC boss who spoke through the Commission’s Secretary, Mr Mohammad Hammajoda praised the initiative of the group and assured the delegation of the Commission’s collaboration with all relevant agencies of government and non-state actors to bring the menace of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism to an end.
“We highly appreciate your presence. This is an important engagement towards finding a solution to the scourge of oil theft and vandalization of oil and gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta region. Apart from the fact that oil theft has made it difficult over the years for us as a country to meet up with our OPEC production quota, and by extension diminish the revenue we ought to make from crude oil sales for national development, the menace often comes with the evil of pipeline vandalism, which in several cases leaves a huge toll of environmental pollution, manifesting in the destruction of marine economy, farmlands and everything in the ecosystem, including human lives”, he said.
He further stated that, “arresting the tide of oil theft is at the core of what we do in the Commission in nearly all the zonal commands in the southern part of the country, particularly in the Niger Delta. I give you my assurance that we will collaborate with your organization for the sake of our country, our generation and posterity”.