Foreigners behind oil theft,says minister

The Federal Government yesterday described
oil theft as terrorism, saying foreigners were
behind it.
Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani
Alison-Madueke alleged that the theft of
Nigeria’s crude oil is in connivance with some
syndicates outside Africa, adding that the crime
robs the economy and dissuades investors.
The minister spoke in London, according to
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) spokesman Tumini Green.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke was delivering the
keynote address at the Powerlist 2014. She
said: “Theft of this magnitude is not only highly
technical, but it is also an international-level
crime. It is aided and abetted by syndicates
outside of Africa who are the patrons and
merchant-partners of the oil thieves. This crime
against Nigeria must be resisted, as we
simultaneously deploy in-country resources to
fight this menace,’’ she said.
The Minister urged the global community to
advocate strongly against crude oil theft.
She said: “It perpetuates criminality, defrauds
economies and discourages investment. This is
a crime that threatens not only Nigeria’s oil and
gas sector, but also threatens the security of
the Gulf of Guinea and, by extension, threatens
the global economic order.”
The minister said the grave phenomenon of oil
theft and its global support system represent
another face of terrorism, which has continued
to remain a spoke the wheel of the nation’s
high economic growth trajectory.”
In the paper titled: “The strengths and
obligations of the African Diaspora”, the
Petroleum Minister explained that the ugly
episode of oil theft has continued to thwart
efforts at sustained economic growth because
the effect of the oil theft scourge reverberates
across the entire spectrum of the Nigerian
economy.
“The grave phenomenon of oil theft and its
global support system represents another face
of terrorism counteracting our efforts at
sustaining the trajectory of our high-growth
economy, the stability of our society, and the
enhancement and wellbeing of our people,’’
Mrs. Alison-Madueke said.
She said efforts at combating the menace
locally is made more complicated because of
the international slant of the crime.
Despite the scourge of crude theft, Mrs. Alison-
Madueke said Nigeria’s oil and gas industry
had been placed on the path of growth and
irreversible progress.
“The Nigerian Content Act, signed into law in
2010 by President Jonathan, vigorously
advocates for indigenous participation, job
creation and in-country capacity development
and has nurtured leading edge indigenous
companies capable of competing with the
traditional multinationals. The very topical
Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is a historic piece
of legislation designed to effect extensive and
much needed legal, regulatory, financial and
environmental reform to Nigeria’s oil and gas
industry,’’ she said.