A Coalition of Civil Society Organization, “Nigeria National Interest Defenders, NNID, on Monday demanded for the immediate investigation of the alleged loss of 22 million barrels of crude oil worth about $1.35 billion in six months through an International Oil Company.
Addressing a World Conference in Abuja yesterday, Chief Perry Opara, the Coordinator of the group called on the President Muhammadu Buhari, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other heads of security agencies to charge the International Oil Company, IOC, which was responsible for the loss.
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The Group further called for the immediate nationalisation of the International Oil Company, IOC, for non-remittance of crude oil shipment revenue.
Describing the non-remittance as sabotage of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Economic Agenda, Chief Perry Opara, called on the government to commence immediate construction of alternative terminals in collaboration with indigenous companies to ensure accountability and transparency while allowing explorers who pump oil into shell terminals to have an input to the terminal operations.
According to him, “the unaccounted losses in crude oil dig a big hole in the revenue of the nation. This negative impact coupled with the economic sabotage aimed at thwarting the next level agenda of the present administration.
“It is disheartening that within the first six months of this year, 22 million barrels of crude oil has been stolen and projections are that the figure could double by the end of the year.”
While explaining that the IOC claimed that between January and June 2019, an estimated 22 million barrels have been lost to pipeline breaches and oil theft, Opara said that the volume of an oil spill would have flooded the Niger Delta region, adding, “where is the oil flooded parts of the Niger Delta? The value of the claimed loss is about $1.35billion. This is just six months.”
He called for “a comprehensive probe of the volume of oil pumped out from the wells, the volume that arrives at the terminal and the actual volume which is dispensed from the terminal.”
The group, however, called for an immediate refund of the sum of five trillion naira own to the federal government of Nigeria IOC.
The members of the group stage a peaceful protest around the streets of Abuja against the IOC.
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