18th July, 2013
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN has described recent claims by the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Kingsley Kuku that oil workers were the brains behind crude oil theft in the country as tragic, laughable, and disingenuous.
In a statement by Mohammed Seyi Gambo, national public relations officer, PENGASSAN, the union said it takes serious exception to the claims of the presidential aide which it described as perturbing, cynical, alarming and was made without regard to its implication and ramifications.
“Rather than cast aspersions on innocent, hard working people, Mr. Kuku would do well to view the increasingly alarming rate of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta as a dysfunction of the activities of his Amnesty Office which has made emergency millionaires of some militant leaders while the foot soldiers wallow in penury as well as failure to address the huge infrastructural and socio-economic development deficit in the Niger Delta region,” PENGASSAN said.
The Union also added that it and NUPENG, its sister organisation have consistently over the last one year raised alarm over the increasing rate of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalisation and its threat to not just government’s revenue which seems to be the main concern of government but also its threat to the environment, investment and national security because people who steal more than 250,000 barrels/day of crude oil (more than double the total production of Ghana) can destabilize any government.
“Indeed, we held an emergency joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja on July 2, 2013, essentially on this issue and reiterated our demand that all cases of pipeline sabotage, crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and refining activities under whatever guise must be decisively dealt with. We equally demanded to be part of the high-powered committee of the Federal Government on this key mission which findings and recommendation we hope will be accorded expedient action by the appropriate authority to essentially sustain confidence in the oil and gas industry and socio-economic security for all of us as Nigerians knowing that the industry is the lifeline of our economy.
“We challenge the authorities on its readiness to join forces with the national and states’ intelligent, defence and security agencies in the patriotic crusade to completely unearth and get to the bottom of this criminality and national calamity so that the both the Nigerian public and international community some of whom already know and relate with the culprits or the syndicates will not be deceived or fooled by people like Kingsley Kuku.
“Mr. Kuku seems to want to build his reputation on wild and unguarded statements; he made one of such reckless statements on his recent trip to the US. The Special Adviser to the President must be called to order against such unguarded, unsubstantiated and provocative utterances in the interest of industrial peace and respect for our nation and more so that he doesn’t continue to embarrass himself and the government he claims to serve,” the Union concluded.
Nigeria loses over $6 billion yearly as a result of oil theft.