The Niger Delta Peoples Congress in America, has advised the federal Government to partner with local oil refiners in the Niger Delta towards the attainment of effective results.
The group urged the government to encourage the local refiners by way of investment and implementation of safer methods, rather than launching a manhunt on them.
In a statement on Saturday signed by its President, Apostle Bishop Samson Amajene, and Secretary, Dr. May Banigo, the group noted that local refiners were not the real cause of low oil production in the country.
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
According to Amajene, real oil theft is perpetrated by those in high places, whose operations are in the deep sea.
The group tasked the government to set up surveillance in the deep sea to curtail oil theft in the offshore, adding that attention should not be only streamlined to oil theft in onshore areas.
While congratulating High Chief Government Ekpemupolo on the award of surveillance protection contract, the group expressed confidence that the former warlord will deliver above expectations.
The statement reads;
“We want to use this medium to thank the Federal Government for awarding the Pipeline Surveillance contract to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo.
“It is a welcome development considering the fact that this will help provide job opportunities for so many youths in the Niger Delta and even the women. Men will be given employment opportunities to fend for themselves.
“We believe that Tompolo will do what us right as he has been doing in the past to carry everyone along in the execution of this contract.
“We want to appeal to all critical stakeholders across the Niger Delta to work together in harmony. All the bad blood is not needed at this time.
“We have lost so much even as people who lay the golden egg that feeds the entire nation. Whatever the federal government is giving to us, while we look for more, we should take advantage of it to better the life of the common man on the street.
“By this, I’m saying that all our people from Edo down to Cross River State should work together to ensure that this work is executed to the best of what is expected.
“This surveillance contract is a stipend when we talk of what is going on in the deep sea. This is onshore, what about the offshore where a lot of illegal activity takes place.
“The federal government should look beyond the onshore. The government should also look at providing surveillance for offshore facilities.
“Many vessels have been reported in the past to have been involved in oil theft. The government must take responsibility to curtail these activities. That is where the real oil theft takes place.
“What the government should have done was to find a way to encourage local refiners to provide employment opportunities for youths.
“Why don’t the federal government take advantage of the ingenuity in the creativity and expertise in a way that these local refiners have brought to bear?
“The government should partner with these local refiners to put quality control in place for better results.
“Instead, the government of the day is killing the talent instead of encouraging it. The issue is not with the local refiners, those operating in the deep sea are the real oil smugglers.”
