The Senate Adhoc Committee on Oil Theft says it has begun investigating circumstances surrounding oil theft and illegal bunkering activities in the Niger Delta region.
It said Nigeria has recorded huge losses in crude oil production following illegal oil activities in the region.
Fielding questions from journalists on arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Chairman of the Committee, Bassey Akpan described the massive stealing of the country’s crude oil as troubling.
He said the country had lost huge earnings and failed to meet the quota allocated by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
He said, “Our intention is to visit every oil terminal in the Niger Delta region to see things for ourselves, the reason for oil theft, the reason for oil losses.
“We at the National Assembly believe that the local refining capacity as a result of all the bunkering issues can never be guaranteed or be sustained or be ensured by the losses.
“We believe that there are other areas where the country loses this huge revenue and resources. So it’s a serious job we are out here to do.”
Recall that the OPEC report had stated that Angola and Libya have overtaken Nigeria as the highest producers of crude oil in Africa.
