NNPC boss says drones will be used for pipeline surveillance and coastal security

chika ebuzor

September 2, 2015 4:45 AM

Nigeria is the eighth largest producer of oil in the world but you probably would not see that as you traverse our country because a large volume of oil produced lands in the pockets of very few people and many of us remain extremely poor.

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Emmanuel Kachikwu, while speaking at a seminar revealed how the group will combat oil theft.

He said that oil theft will be nipped in the bud, in the next eight months.

The NNPC boss said drones will be used to monitor pipelines, as well as Nigeria's coastal waters.

Kachikwu said "The job of keeping our country afloat and making sure that the revenues from oil are transparently received and spent is the main purpose of my work. When I was first asked by the President to come and take over this job, my first reaction was trepidation and fear, largely because over the last two decades, we have gone topsy-turvy with our oil industry. We, as a country, have lost so much both in terms of revenue and international perception. I carry a responsibility that is not just making sure that the oil industry generates so much revenue, but also a responsibility of bringing back high level of transparency in terms of perception. What is happening is that a few people do bad things but it rubs off on Nigeria. Many Nigerians are doing the right thing."

Adding that “Nigeria is the eighth largest producer of oil in the world but you probably would not see that as you traverse our country because a large volume of oil produced lands in the pockets of very few people and many of us remain extremely poor. That is because over the years, we have been unable to transparently deal with our oil."

He also said that “A lot is happening. More challenges are going to be there but we are going to be able to solve the problems. We have given ourselves eight months within which we will hopefully completely eradicate the issue of oil theft in Nigeria. It is a focus that is very firm, very determined and in the process, you are going to find individuals who constitute some of the highest level of personnel in this economy. Oil theft is not just about the poor in the society. It is about the very rich and it takes a rich man to be able to get the market for the crude and enter into the carriage contract. It is the rich in the country that are actually the problem of NNPC and not the poor. We will address that very solidly, and we will achieve result for Nigeria. If we don’t do that we would have lost the essence of our appointment into this position. Working with security agencies, and using lots of technology we will ensure that this business stops. It is critical that the Nigerian face is not seen as a face of theft but a face of decency.”

chika ebuzor