The Federal Government’s Special Investigative Panel on Oil Theft/Losses has called for deliberate conversations to drive legal reforms that would provide stiffer penalties to culpable entities involved in oil theft.
Chairman of the Panel, retired Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu, made the call in his address of welcome recently at a One-Day Stakeholders Conference on Oil Theft/Losses in Abuja.
Under the theme, “Protecting Petroleum Industry Assets for Improved Economy”, Ndiomu said frank discussions must be held to enable the country “crack the code” and put an end to the criminal enterprise of oil theft.
Ndiomu, who is also the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), expressed regret that the menace of oil theft has had enormous negative impact on Nigeria’s crude oil production, plunging output to a 13-year low of 800,000bpd.
He reiterated that strategic consultations have been held with state governments of the Niger Delta Region and other critical stakeholders to that effect.
“On the side of the law enforcement and security agencies, visits were made to the Chief of Army and Navel Staff, to the DG-DSS, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the EFCC, among others.
“These engagements availed us information on the challenges their respective organisations faced in securing our nation’s oil assets and combating oil theft.
“These efforts provided us new knowledge and elicited honest discussion amongst Panel Members that led to some obvious conclusion signifying that theft and lose of crude oil stemmed from the twin issues of complicity and negligence,’’ Ndiomu said.
He further explained that the emergent picture suggests the existence of a sophisticated network of complicity between elements from the host communities, security agencies and industry players.
He added that they include both government and private institutions alike, as well as international collaborators.
“The conception of this conference is part of the panel’s strategy to obtain additional inputs, information and data on the subject matter. Today’s event therefore aims at consolidating on what has been achieved so far”, Ndiomu said.
The Chairman, however, advocated for application of modern technologies to protect oil assets and a review of security architecture in the region.
“This should be done with a view to stem the sophisticated network of complicity between elements from the host communities, security agencies and industry players”.
The Tide’s source reports that the event attracted officials from the Presidency, National Assembly, traditional rulers from oil communities, security, military and paramilitary, as well as other stakeholders from the oil and gas sector.

Iraq has been saying it wants to produce more oil and gas for a while now but turning stated ambitions into reality has taken a while.
This week, the country took a big step towards that reality when it signed a slew of deals with foreign companies as part of plans to boost both crude oil and natural gas production considerably.
Gas production growth appears to be especially important because right now, Iraq is heavily reliant on neighbor Iran for its gas needs, which puts it into a vulnerable position.
The government in Baghdad inked deals with one Emirati company and two Chinese ones, aiming for oil production growth of a quarter of a million barrels daily and additional natural gas output of 800 million cu ft daily.
Iraq is OPEC’s second-largest oil producer, pumping 4.5 million barrels every day. In previous years government officials had said production capacity could grow to 5 million bpd and even 6 million bpd but little has been done to advance these plans.
The reasons for that slow progress include the politically unstable situation in the country, the dynamics of the oil industry that has seen companies prioritize low-cost, fast-return projects after the last two downturns, and predictions of peak oil demand.
Several oil majors, including Exxon, left Iraq altogether in the past few years, citing the uncertain outlook for its oil industry. Yet successive governments did not give up their plans for greater oil production despite the OPEC+ output quotas, and significantly higher natural gas production.
One of the companies that will be helping Iraq advance these plans is UAE-based Crescent Petroleum. The firm signed three long-term contracts for the exploration and development of three oil and gas fields.
Two of these fields—Gilabat-Qumar and Khashim, in the province of Dyala—are expected to begin producing natural gas within 18 months at a rate of 250 million cu ft daily, Crescent Petroleum said. The third field that Crescent Petroleum will explore is in the province of Basra.
The second of Baghdad’s new oil and gas development partners, Chinese United Energy Group inked a deal with the government to develop the Sindbad oil field, also in Basra.
The third company that signed a deal with the Iraqi government was also Chinese, Geo-Jade Petroleum Co. It will develop the Huwaiza oil field and the Naft Khana field, both near the Iranian border, Reuters noted in a report on the news.
All the contracts signed this week have a duration of 20 years and should help boost Iraq’s energy security in the natural gas department, reducing its bill for gas imports from Iran at a time when its economy is struggling to remain operational.
As a result of the deals signed this week, Iraq could suspend natural gas imports in three years, according to Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani. Commenting on the deals, Al-Sudani said gas imports from Iran are costing the Baghdad budget between $5.5 and $6.8 billion a year, Zawya reported.
“We have decided to enter the global gas market and we will push ahead with projects to develop our gas resources and stop gas flaring because shortages in domestic gas supply are the main cause of our electricity supply problems,” Al-Sudani said.
To further these plans, Iraq will also launch tenders for exploration blocks in the northern, western and central parts of the country in the near future, Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghanisaid this week.
Oil output should also grow. According to the IMF, this year, Iraq could produce 4.6 million bpd, up from 4.4 million bpd last year, The National reported. By 2027, oil production could reach 5 million bpd, the IMF also forecast. Perhaps Iraq’s oil and gas ambitions finally have a chance of panning out.
Kennedy reports for Oilprice.com

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has stressed the urgent need for partnership among nations in Africa, especially, in knowledge sharing, to attain energy security and achieve transition to cleaner energy.
Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the company, Mele Kyari, stated this recently while addressing the 7th edition of the Sub Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference(SAIPEC) in Lagos.
Kyari said the Conference, with the theme, “Harnessing a Sustainable African Energy Industry through Partnerships”, is coming at an opportune time when the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry is experiencing a significant transformation following the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA 2021).
He explained that the Act has provided role clarity in Governance, Rule- based Administration, Attractive and Flexible Fiscal Terms and Direct benefits for the Host communities.
All these, he said. are targeted at creating enablers for investor confidence in the Nigerian Oil and Gas sector, where ample opportunities exist.
He however, noted that the restructuring is happening at a time when the Energy transition discussion is gaining momentum, and major fund providers for petroleum upstream investment are now activists and anti-fossil fuel.
“As I have always canvassed, decreasing investments in hydrocarbon ventures cannot guarantee global energy security in the near future. Rather, an inclusive policy that guarantees access to finance and low-carbon technologies are key to sustaining global energy security and equitable growth”, he stressed.
He said, Nigeria, being geographically situated in the sub-African region and also a foremost leader in the oil and gas industry in sub-Saharan Africa, there is the need to capitalise on the advancements made in the industry to meet the country’s energy demands, guarantee energy supply, expand economies and overall build a sustainable future for millions of people beyond our shores.
In the next 20 years, energy demand in Africa is expected to increase in the order of 30-35 per cent to support the projected increase in population and industrialization which presents an enormous opportunity for us to form partnerships across the continent and build a sustainable future, he said.