Nigerian Navy Questions NNPC Regarding Oil Theft.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has been accused by the Nigerian Navy of not being truthful regarding the stealing of crude oil as assumed by NNPC.
Rear Admiral Solomon Agada, the Navy Chief of Training and Operations made this known to the Senate Committee of the Economic and Financial Crimes at the meeting on the relevant agencies responsible for the investigation of crime and recovery management held in Abuja according to the National Assembly Act, 2022.
Therefore, Agada told NNPC to refrain from attributing the issue of fuel scarcity in the country to stolen crude oil, he added that it is not possible for 100,000 barrels of crude oil to be stolen every day as claimed by NNPC.
Misleading Nigerians by falsely saying that 100,000 barrels of oil are usually stolen every day, senator Suleiman Kwari, the committee chairman, questioned the claims of NNPC on oil theft even when the Navy ensures the waterways are thoroughly secured.
The Navy boss noted that, since February/March, the major terminals have not processed fuel for exportation, he, therefore, urged the NNPC to be strong forward and reveal to the government that there is a product in store which is not yet processed for exportation instead of claiming that they are usually stolen.
He, therefore, noted that fuels are not coming out due to the fact that, Chevron Terminal in Escravos and Shell Platform on Bonny Island are not exporting.
He however advised NNPC to always give truthful information instead of deceiving the public with claims of oil theft.
Agada who spoke on the increase in the price of diesel attributed it to the non-operation of illegal bunkers which was put to an end by a special task operation in April.
The Navy boss also emphasized the effort of the Federal government to curb illegal bunkers, he noted that the Federal government has laid an infrastructure that will aid the navy to promptly discover and also arrest unauthorized refiners and vessels.
Any vessel operating in the water without the automatic identification system being on will become suspicious and will be arrested upon investigation, he stressed that Nigeria should be perceived by international communities as a place where illegal activities are restricted and prohibited.
Meanwhile, the meeting was designed as part of an overview for the Senate Committee to ascertain the degree of conformity to the provisions in accordance with the laid down procedures and to ascertain the revenue generated by the government.
