Nigerians Assisting Foreign Nationals in Oil Theft and Illegal Mining – An Eye-opening Revelation by NEITI
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has brought to light a troubling revelation that foreigners, with the assistance of Nigerians, are engaging in illegal activities such as oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal mining, and the bold theft of solid minerals.
During his address at the United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day 2023 in Abuja, the Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, exposed the disturbing truth that these criminal activities are orchestrated by foreigners and facilitated with the involvement of Nigerian citizens.
In a significant disclosure, it was revealed that Nigeria has suffered a substantial loss of over 619 million barrels of crude oil, amounting to a staggering value of $46.16 billion or N16.25 trillion Naira, between the years 2009 and 2020.
Additionally, the country has incurred a loss of 4.2 billion litres of petroleum products from refineries, valued at $1.84 billion. These concerning figures are a result of the illegal activities of oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and illegal mining, conducted by a collaboration of foreign perpetrators and complicit Nigerians.
Furthermore, the vandalism of critical national assets such as pipelines has inflicted severe damage on the nation. According to NEITI reports, between 2017 and 2021, Nigeria documented a significant 7,143 cases of pipeline breakages and deliberate vandalism, which led to the theft of 208.639 million barrels of crude, valued at $12.74 million or N4.325 trillion.
The detrimental impact of these criminal activities is worsened by the substantial amount of funds, totalling over N471. 493 billion, that the country has had to expend on repairing and maintaining these vital pipelines.
In view of these distressing revelations, NEITI emphasised the critical need for collaboration and partnerships between stakeholders to devise innovative and sustainable solutions to address the pervading corruption issues afflicting the nation.
As a member of the Inter-Agency Task Team, NEITI remains resolute in its commitment to combat corruption by sharing credible information and data, with the aim of minimising, if not eradicating, corruption in the governance of Nigeria’s extractive sector. Moreover, NEITI advocates for the adoption of the EITI model of multi-stakeholder consensus building and oversight as a viable strategy to instil accountability mechanisms within governance institutions.
This serious situation calls for urgent and decisive action to stem the tide of illicit activities that are siphoning off the resources of the nation. The revelation by NEITI serves as a stark reminder of the pressing need for concerted efforts to combat corruption and safeguard the interests of the nation.
