Why it is difficult to combat crude oil theft – Alison-Madueke

Diezani Alison-Madueke, the minister of petroleum resources, has noted that effort at combating the menace oil theft locally is made more complicated because of the international slant of the crime.

According to her, “Theft of this magnitude is not only highly technical, but it is also an international-level crime. It is aided and abetted by syndicates outside of Africa who are the patrons and merchant-partners of the oil thieves. This crime against Nigeria must be resisted, as we simultaneously deploy in-country resources to fight this menace.”

She declared that the grave phenomenon of oil theft and its global support system represents another face of terrorism which has continued to remain a cog in the wheel of the nation’s high economic growth trajectory. Alison-Madueke stated this at an event in London tagged Powerlist 2014 recently where she delivered a keynote address.

In the presentation titled: “The Strengths and Obligations of the African Diaspora,” the Petroleum Minister explained that the ugly episode of oil theft has continued to thwart efforts at sustained economic growth because the effect of the oil theft scourge reverberates across the entire spectrum of the Nigerian economy.

“The grave phenomenon of oil theft and its global support system represents another face of terrorism counteracting our efforts at sustaining the trajectory of our high-growth economy, the stability of our society, and the enhancement and well-being of our people,” Alison-Madueke said.

The Minister called on the global community to advocate strongly against crude oil theft.

“It perpetuates criminality, defrauds economies and discourages investment. This is a crime that threatens not only Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, but also threatens the security of the Gulf of Guinea, and by extension threatens the global economic order,” she said.

Despite the scourge of crude theft, Alison-Madueke enthused that the Nigerian oil and gas industry has been placed on the path of growth and irreversible progress engendered by the transformation footprints of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

She said the Nigerian Content Act, signed into law in 2010 by President Jonathan, vigorously advocates for indigenous participation, job creation and in-country capacity development and has nurtured leading edge indigenous companies capable of competing with the traditional multinationals.

By: OLUSOLA BELLO