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Oil Theft: Avuru Seeks National Emergency On Oil Sector
Former chief executive officer of Seplat Energy Plc, Austin Avuru, has said that 80percent of Nigeria’s oil production was lost to oil theft.
This is coming amid an assertion by the Chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Tony Elumelu, that Nigeria was “losing over 95percent of oil production to thieves”.
Avuru, in a report titled, “Reining in the Collapse of the Nigerian Oil Industry” published by the Africa Oil+Gas Report, called for a state of emergency in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.
He urged regulators and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) to set up a “war room” strategy to develop a plan to return the oil sector to “full bloom.
“With eyes fixed on divestments and exit, the IOCs have not made any meaningful investments in the last 15 years,” he said.
“The result has not just been declining production. Much worse, the entire export pipeline network has been surrendered to vandals and illegal bunkerers. Thus, the phrase “crude theft” which crept into the industry about 2010 has taken on a new meaning.
“There are some pipeline systems now (particularly in the East), where 80percent of production injected therein does not make it to the terminal!”
According to him, almost every producer is now cooking up “alternative evacuation” schemes that cost four to five times what pipeline export would normally cost!
“The stark reality today is that the IOCs are leaving. Their decision to leave is outside our control as a nation. In fact, over the last 12 years, Shell and Chevron have divested from a total of 21 blocks. It is now public knowledge that Shell and ExxonMobil are now exiting the onshore/shallow water altogether,” he said.
“In fact, my projection is that, by Christmas day of 2025, Total would be the only IOC in JV with NNPC.
“The situation is the same with domestic gas delivery. Even though we are weaving all the right slogans about the future of gas in Nigeria, in the past five years, I can only point at a couple of Nigerian independents who are investing in gas development and processing for the domestic market.
“The state of the NNPC Towers in Abuja, headquarters of the Nigerian oil industry: Just standing back and intervening by pre-emptive acquisitions cannot be a sustainable solution to the question of retreating IOCs Nigerian Petroleum Industry is a national emergency. Oil production is down to about 1.4million barrels per day and declining and this includes about 600,000BOPD from the deep-water.
“Domestic gas production has stagnated at about 1.2billion cubic feet (Bcf) per day over the past five years at a time when projected production should have been 3.5Bcf per day. The collateral impact of course, is the low level of power generation which itself has stagnated at about 4,000megawatts per day since 2015.”
Avuru added that the full impact of the current oil production level can only be imagined when oil prices return to the $60 per barrel level.
“I dare repeat that the situation has to be treated as a national emergency,” he said.
“Between the upstream regulator (the commission) and NNPC, they need to set up a ‘war room’, some form of an effective task force to develop a blueprint for returning the industry to full bloom. The responses we hear today to the myriad of problems outlined above have been ad-hoc, knee jerk and in some cases only self-serving.”
Avuru outlined some issues that must be addressed in the oil and gas sector.
“When IOCs leave a matured petroleum patch, independents, whether local or international, usually move in to inject fresh capital, run a nimble efficient operation and maximize production and reserves addition,” he added.
“A well-organised transition driven by a clear policy direction, from the retreating IOCs to a crop of efficient independents with the requisite resources will have to be implemented.
“Just standing back and intervening by pre-emptive acquisitions cannot be a sustainable solution proffered by NNPC.
“There has to be a deliberate policy-driven return to the traditional onshore/shallow water terrains. 80percent of our remaining reserves are still in this belt.
“To do this, we have to address the twin problems of reliable pipeline evacuation and community restiveness. These problems have become heightened, not because there is no solution, but because we have abandoned every attention to them in the last 15 years.
“When these two problems are tackled, plus a strict application of the ‘drill or drop’ provisions of the new PIA, huge investments in drilling and facilities revamp will flow again into this terrain.
“Finally, we have to match our gas slogans with effective, measurable, policy actions to drive investments in domestic gas supply. The current flip-flops on pricing and commercial structure of the gas business cannot stimulate investments in the sector.
“This industry will not wake up by God’s miracle. We have to wake up and design the stimulant that will revitalise it.”
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had said the country loses more than 115,000 barrels per day to oil theft and vandalism.
Oil producers in Nigeria lamented oil thieves are raking in ‘petrodollars’ while Nigeria is bedevilled by low production.
In February, Nigeria’s oil production had dropped to an average of 1.25million barrels per day (bpd) from 1.39million the previous month.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.
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