CRUDE OIL THEFT: There’s no bunkerer that Nigerian Navy does not know – Omatseye
…Calls on FG to establish modular refinery regulatory agency
…Calls for employment creation for Niger Delta youths
Navy Commodore Nesiama Omatseye (Rtd), the NNPP Delta South Senatorial Candidate, has said that there is no bunkerer involved in crude oil theft in the country that men of the Nigerian Navy does not know.
He stated this when he appeared as a guest at the Niger Delta Economic Discourse Series put together by GbaramatuVoice Newspaper on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at BON Hotel, Effurun, Delta state.
According to him, “Just like I tell people, there is no armed robber that police does not know, except it’s not a real armed robber. There is no smuggler custom does not know, there is no bunkerer navy does not know, that’s the truth. And the nation Nigeria cannot be talking about modular refinery without first talking about its impact.
Giving details as to what set the stage for the ongoing ‘crisis’ in the region, the security expert explained that the origin of all the hostility in the region stemmed from deprivation and neglect of the people. Individuals saw opportunity in the weaknesses-this also involved outsiders and the international community.
In his words, “deprivation and neglect led to activism and the call for resource control. In the same vein, the neglect of the environment also led to what the government tagged ‘’sabotage’’. But in the actual sense of the word, it was not sabotage. Rather, the people saw opportunity in the weakness’’. Those trained but without jobs became more creative. This led to the establishment of modular refineries’’.
Continuing, he explained that when he was an ADC to the Former Military Administrator of Abia state, he recommended that modular refineries be established in the area as it is more compact and easy to manage. He added that he made a similar submission before relevant authorities for the Niger Delta region but the report was turned down, maybe, because they felt that if approved, it would portray him as a militant.
He warned that effort must be made to ensure a change.
As to what should be done, the security expert turned politician called for modular refineries with Niger Delta characteristics.
Omatseye insisted that there is need for the Federal Government to create agency to commence the process of establishing modular refineries that will be owned and managed by groups and communities.
He also called for the creation of a working group to be able to develop how that comes about and there is a lot of intelligence input that should go into it.
In the interim, Nesiama concluded that there is an urgent need for the creation of employment for the youths in the Niger Delta region through the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
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