Oil Theft

The President, Club Twelve 88, Abuja, Rear Admiral Gbadejo Adedeji (rtd) has attributed the lack of adequate technology to secure and monitor oil pipelines to recent oil theft cases in Nigeria.

Adedeji while speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at a press briefing to commemorate the 11th President investiture ceremony and inauguration of the new corresponding members stated the issue of oil theft borders on how much foresight the Nigerian leadership has exercised in mining how to explore our oil resources and reforms, and technologically secure it.

According to Adedeji, there is a total neglect of studying our situations in the country particularly in the area of oil business.

He explained that in other climes, professionals in the oil and gas sector are duty bound researching, gathering and analysing data and looking for likely solution to oil theft rather than leave the armed forces alone to make arrest

“Today we are talking of people laying oil pipe at the sea beds and going out there to load trucks, the armed Forces will not be in the business of researching this.

“Look at Saudi Arabia for example, the network of their oil pipe is so tight and so technologically backed up that if you touch one pin, you will be located, it is a huge structure that they are watching what is going on in the system”.

Meanwhile, the President noted that since the club has been found about 36 years ago before the creation of they Federal Capital Territory, though infrastructural development is fair now compared to other cities but initial plans has been thwarted over time.

“The concept of town planning is important to the development of any country, but the impromptu concept of Abuja caused lots of flaws ” I guess there was an abandonment of the initial plan of the city”.

Corroborating, Former Head, Public Health and Environment Division of the Federal Capital Territory Development Administration (FCDA), Dr. Francis Ayande noted that change of leadership structure on quarterly basis affected the continuity of the Abuja master plan.

“What happened in Abuja was that the leadership of FCDA was changed every 2-3 years, in many society, if you have a project like this, the leadership must be there continuously to see the dream and plan implemented and if there is need for adjustment, they will do this systematically”.

Francis also stated that due to insecurity around neighboring fct states, many people moved in and there was no way the planners of FCT could cope with the influx of people, also government budget was limited until the private sector came into to support.

“So like I said the changes of the FCDA leadership affected the continuity of the initial concept and plan of the FCT.