Crude Oil Theft Drops To 40,000bpd

Delta State Governor, Dr.  Emmanuel Uduaghan has said in Abuja, that the volume of oil theft in the Niger Delta had reduced from 100,000 barrels to 40,00 barrels per day.

Uduaghan disclosed this while fielding questions from State House correspondents after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The governor said that although the quantity of the stolen crude was still on the high side, with proactive measures by government, the menace would be checked.

Specifically, he said that if the culprits of oil theft were prosecuted and sanctioned accordingly and the right technology deployed for monitoring, the crime would drastically reduce.

“The volume of theft is reducing.

“As at yesterday I still heard somebody quoting 1,400,000 barrels of oil being stolen, that is not true.

“At the time it was at its peak, there was a shutdown of about 300,000 barrels of oil as a result of damage to two major pipelines.

“At that time, between 80,000 to 100,000 barrels were being stolen and that was the time we took some measures to ensure that the quantity that is being stolen is reduced.

“As at today, I can tell you that the quantity that is being stolen has reduced to about 40,000 barrels per day.

“Those pipelines that were shut down are now functioning, so the 300,000 to 320,000 that were shut down as a result of damage to the pipelines have now been opened.

“The stolen 40,000 barrels per day is still on the high side, but as we go further in putting measures in place, especially, the issue of prosecution, the quantity will gradually reduce and if possible we can get it to a zero level.

“Apart from the prosecution, we are also looking at technology in monitoring to be able to deal with oil theft,” he said.

Uduaghan said that the year 2015 would be full of hope and opportunities for the country.

He said he was optimistic that with the proposed national dialogue, a lot of issues would be resolved and the country will continue to move in the right direction.

Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe (right) listening to Rector of Rivers State Polytechnic, Bori, Obiako Worlu Elechi, during the 3rd Interactive Session for Youth and Students of Rivers South-East Senatorial District, co-ordinated by Abe’s Constituency Office in Bori, recently.