Buhari-G7 meeting-TUC, PENGASSAN make case against oil theft

The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and his counterpart in Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria(PENGASSAN), Francis Olabode Johnson, Wednesday in Lagos urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take advantage of the “open cheque” handed him by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, to seek bilateral cooperation with the G-7 Nations in the fight against illegal oil bunkering.

Philip Hammond, British Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, had shortly after the president’s inauguration on May 29 said the British PM had requested the President to come with a ‘wish list’ to the meeting, scheduled for June 7-9 in Berlin, Germany, of what Nigeria needed help to succeed against .

In separate interviews with BusinessDay, the two labour leaders said the offer of a ‘wish list’ was ample opportunity for the President to present the ugliness of the age-long illegal oil bunkering that is bleeding the country to death before the G-7 Nations.

“The President should liaise with the G-7 Nations to see how the stealing of Nigeria’s oil can be reduced to the minimum. That way, we will have the synergy where every ship leaving Nigeria’s shore is given a security check pass that the goods it is carrying is legally loaded.

Otherwise, we will continue to have this issue of oil theft”, said Bobboi Bala Kaigama.

According to the TUC president, it will be wise for President Buhari to request for a bilateral security agreement in technical issues that Nigeria, by way of challenges it is facing, whether deep sea security, monitoring or underground monitoring of events within the international sea boundaries and that by so doing (going into collaboration with the G-8 Nations), the country will be assisted technically to monitor the movement around sea borders.

“It will really go a long way to assist Nigeria in the fight against oil theft. The President also needs to do the same with African countries that shares water border with Nigeria. By and large, the President must seek technical support and training of our personnel from the G-7 Nations in this regards”, he said.

He said the President also need to overhaul the country’s entire security network particularly of those saddled with the responsibility of guarding the nation’s pipelines, oil installation and its territorial waters.