Jimitota ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT: CRUDE oil theft has become a major problem in the Niger Delta region. According to Shell, the daily exportation of about 140,000 barrels of oil is being threatened by this ugly act going on massively on its Nembe creek trunkline in the region.

The oil giant recently led media men in Port Harcourt on an over-fly of the Nembe creek trunkline to see things for themselves. There were over fifty illegal bunkering points around the trunkline. These oil thieves gather the crude into Cotonou boats and then sail into the high sea.

Their actions do not only constitute threat to oil exports but pose a major risk to the environment.

Lamenting the sad incident, the Managing Director of the multinational oil giant, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu fielded questions from journalists said illegal bunkering had also made it difficult to do complete clean up of some oil spill impacted areas in the region.

Mr Sunmonu who sounded very worried enjoined government and other stakeholders to take urgent steps to tackle the problem. He said all hands should be on deck to save the country greater loss from the callous activities of the oil thieves.

He also called for increased security around the Nembe creek trunkline. “I feel extremely saddened by what is happening, display of criminality and lack of care. I am extremely worried. Frankly something has got to be done otherwise our operation in the region will not be sustainable. This is very, very worrisome.”

He said the level of oil theft and illegal refining of crude in the region constitutes a major threat to the environment. “I am really worried about the danger to the environment”.

According to him, there are a lot of international agencies that had indicated interest to develop the agric sector in the region but were reluctant to invest because of the level of crime.

While assuring that as a multinational oil firm, Shell would continue to do its best in the fight against oil theft and other related crimes threatening its operations, Mr. Sunmonu said the crusade should not be left to the oil giant alone.
“This is not a war that Shell alone can win, we need a coalition of efforts.”

The Managing Director further recommended creation of jobs and development of the region as steps towards resolving the problems.

He said Shell had been actively involved in creating empowerment opportunities for people in the region through various schemes and skills acquisition programmes.