The Nigeria Governors Forum has said that it will work with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to stop pipeline vandalism and oil bunkering in the country.
Governor Abdul’aziz Yari of Zamfara State, who is the Chairman of the forum, gave the assurance on Tuesdayin Abuja while briefing newsmen at the end of its extraordinary meeting.
Yari said the meeting was to let governors understand what the agencies and Development Partners were doing to enable them know how to assist them in the interest of the nation and the people.
He said: “We are supposed to take eight presentations today, but because of time constraint, we were able to take the United Nations Populations Fund and World Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
“We have also taken Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
“We will take the ones we are not able to take today by November.
“The NNPC briefed us on its current programmes for Nigerians, issues of oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism, gas development and the way forward.”
Yari added that the presentations would continue with other Government Departments and Agencies to keep governors abreast on their workings and how to move the country forward.
He stressed that developing the NNPC, which was critical, would by extension ensure the development of the country`s economy since oil was its major source of income.
Yari added that the NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had promised the governors that the corporation would now begin to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
He said: “The GMD promised us that we are going to see a different NNPC that would fund the country’s economy fully without questions of pipeline vandalism and oil bunkering.
“This, the GMD said, is being taken care of.”
Yari, however, said it was regrettable that there were lots of funds the states could access from the World Bank, which most state governors were not aware of.
This, he said, was revealed by the World Bank during its presentation to the forum.
NAN.