Abia Advocates Fight Against Crude Oil Theft

The Abia State Commissioner for Petroleum and Solid
Minerals, Chief Don Ubani, has called for a sustained campaign by government if
the fight against crude oil theft must be won.

Ubani told our correspondent in Umuahia recently that there
should be no compromise in fighting the perpetrators of oil theft across
Nigeria.

“This is the sure way to sustain the recent record in crude
oil production,’’ he said, that those, who sabotage national economy through
vandalism were people government must not treat with kid gloves.

“We have not only sensitised Abia people on the need to
steer clear the pipelines or oil facilities, but warned vandals that government
would deal with them once they were apprehended.

“The present administration does not condone criminality. If
it was condoned in the past that none-oil company staff or security personnel
were allowed to operate around oil installations, this time we are not allowing
such acts.”

The commissioner decried the twin problems of pipeline
vandalism and crude oil theft, and said that government was not targeting at
any individual, but aimed at safeguarding its infrastructure.

“Abia being an integral part of Nigeria cannot exonerate
itself from whatever happens to the country and its economy,’’ he said,
pointing out that Governor Theodore Orji had constantly supported security
agencies by donating vehicles equipped with communication gadgets and other logistics
to ensure efficient operation of their personnel.

He said that his ministry recently organised strategic
meetings with relevant stakeholders, including officials of PPMC, tanker
drivers, the army and police to stem the tide of pipeline vandalism in the
state.

On the re-activation of NNPC depot at Osisioma in Abia, he
said because of the obvious economic gains the Abia State Government would do
everything possible to ensure criminals do not frustrate the operations of the
depot.

He noted that the ministry was in touch with the management
of 690 functional filling stations in the area to ensure that petroleum
products were supplied and marketed at government-approved price.