Worried about the high levels of oil theft in the Niger Delta region, a Professor of Applied Metrology and Environmental Management, Akuro Bobo, has supported the view of establishing modular refineries which he said that would serve as a solution to the menace.
Prof, Bobo made this call during an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt recently.
He enjoined the government to harness the potentials of the young men who are engaged in illegal oil refining and bunkering for the purposes of modifying their technology to the benefit of all.
Bobo lamented that the incidences of oil theft have become huge and worrisome, adding that it is capable of stagnating the nation’s economy.
He observed that though their methods were crude, they are knowledgeable and their techiques could be modified to meet international standards.
According to him, “these people are technologically inclined and so we should use their technology, provide opportunities for them and then get them involved in modular refinery so that their crude technology could be modified to meet international standards and then with that we can check oil theft”.
He alleyed the fear that, this might seem like encouraging oil theft, stating that rather it would show government as taking responsibility for its citizenry.
He said, “we are not encouraging it, but we are saying that government should see it as a responsibility and ensure that they improve on the technology they are using and through those processes gainfully employ some of them”.

Tonye Nria-Dappa