NIGERIA is losing 400,000 barrels of oil daily – no thanks to theft and production shortfalls.
Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan broke the news yesterday to State House correspondents at the end of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo.
The NEC, which comprises the 36 governors, ministers of National Planning, Finance, FCT and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, also took steps yesterday to curtail the rising incidence of oil theft. Such steps include immediate prosecution of oil vandals and thieves.
The daily loss of 400,000 barrels at an international price of $117 per barrel, converted to naira at the exchange rate of N157 to a dollar, is N7.35 billion daily.
Uduaghan, who was appointed to head the Oil Theft Committee at last month’s NEC meeting, said the committee was working on long and short term strategies against the menace.
On the interim measures being taken, he said: “A technical level meeting involving key stakeholders has been held, where concerned agencies including security outfits have made useful submissions, with more submissions expected from other stakeholders, especially from the oil producing states.
The governor added: “The Committee has moved to address the issue of the 400, 000 barrels per day production shortfall. The Governors of Bayelsa and Delta have been mandated to meet with the concerned oil majors and the JTF to work out modalities for the effective repair of the Nembe and Trans Niger pipelines which are currently shut.
“The Committee also mandated Akwa Ibom Governor Godswill Akpabio, Secretary to National Planning Commission, the NEITI chief executive and a representative of the Inspector-General of Police to meet with the Attorney-General of the Federation towards strengthening the extant deterrence policy by ensuring more arrests and convictions of the oil thieves.”
“In this regard, a meeting of the Governor Akpabio-led Committee with the AGF this morning agreed on the following resolutions: A legal task force, headed by Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mohammed Adoke to be set up immediately to commence prosecution of proven cases, using relevant laws; particularly the Miscellaneous Offences Act which carries a sentence of 21 years without option of fine.”
According to him, the legal task force, which is to be in force for one year with effect from July, 2013, is to be made up of representatives from the NNPC, the Armed Forces, Civil Defence, Police, SSS and other related agencies.
Prosecution of established cases will continue, he said, adding that members of the task force would be announced by the AGF July 22.
It is believed that there are about 300 people in custody.
“The Council commended the efforts of the Committee and further urged it to ensure that the bid to repair the shut pipelines is achieved within the targeted period of six to eight weeks.” Also at the briefing, the Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwabo, who chairs the NEC Ad-hoc Committee on the 2012/2013.
Federal/State Governments Borrowing Plans, gave an update on its efforts towards facilitating and co-ordinating easy access to the international development funds already cleared by the National Assembly by interested states.
According to him, only 10 states have so far indicated interest in the various loans targeted at funding high impact projects in such critical areas of infrastructure, including housing, water supply, erosion control and employment generation.
He said that the council called on interested states to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Finance to be properly guided on the loans’ conditionalities and modalities for assessing them.
On grazing reserves, Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako disclosed that the Council was presented with a memorandum on how to address grazing reserves towards boosting food security.
He said cows should be on “zero” grazing just as horses that are fed in their stables. Roaming the countryside for fodder is unproductive and no longer acceptable, as it promotes friction and clashes between cattle rearers and farmers, the governor said.
According to him, the Council set up a Committee comprising the Federal ministries of Agric, Water Resources, Interior, Environment, Boundary Commission and the National Planning Commission to work out the modalities for producing a comprehensive recommendation on establishing grazing reserves, in collaboration with the States.
The Council, he said, mandated him to chair the national co-ordination efforts. The Governors of Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Ondo, Adamawa, Kaduna and Benue will coordinate the efforts in various geopolitical zones within eight weeks.
The Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, said that 80 schools had been built nationwide as part of the effort towards addressing the high number of out-of-school children under trhe Almajiri Education Programme.
The programme will take off by the next academic calendar in September. The Council recommended that the Federal Government should provide textbooks, furniture and laboratory items. The state government are to feed the children and provide them uniforms – in collaboration with the Federal Government.
Among the governors at the meeting yesterday were Delta, Niger, Adamawa, Benue, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Ondo.
Sokoto and Rivers deputy governors were there.
via nigerianeye
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