A House of Representatives member, Johnson Agbonayinma, on Tuesday said multinational oil companies and not Niger Delta Avengers, are the real saboteurs in Nigeria’s oil sector.
He said that while the militants only destroyed oil pipelines in protest over several Niger Delta issues, the multinationals collude with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation officials to steal crude oil and take it outside the country.
Agbonayinma told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the oil racket was complete with the involvement of some Nigerian elite and nationals of foreign countries where the oil was delivered.
He disclosed that with help of an American firm, Loumos Group, contracted by the Federal Government under former President Goodluck Jonathan, stolen crude oil were traced to some countries, including 57 million barrels to the US.
He said that part of the fraud was committed through under-declaration by the NNPC and the cabal of volume of oil exports, adding that oil theft was a flourishing venture by NNPC officials and people in high places.
The lawmaker, who represents Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Constituency of Edo State, therefore urged Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s fight against corruption.
According to him, Niger Delta Avengers are not oil thieves or saboteurs of the economy. The real thieves are the oil cabal, who are milking the nation of oil and the revenue.
Agbonayinma said: “They are NNPC and persons in high places and their foreign partners, and they should be made to account for the stolen crude.”
Agbonayinma, therefore, said that it was disheartening that NNPC was picturing Niger Delta Avengers as saboteurs in the oil sector.
He said: “What NNPC people are doing is using the issue of militancy to cover up. They are not telling Nigerians the truth.
“They are diverting the nation’s attention from the basic truth about huge stealing in the oil sector.
“The cabal is responsible for non-functioning of the refineries. It is pre-meditated and being manipulated so that they can continue to defraud the system.”
He recalled that the refineries were built by the military and challenged civilian leaders to show what they had built or how they had maintained the existing ones.
Agbonayinma called on the Nigeria Labour Congress and civil society organisations to rise against oil thieves “who are in high places, NNPC and multinationals.
He also stated: “There is a lot of corruption in the system and labour leaders and CSOs should lead workers and the masses on activities to encourage President Buhari in sustain the anti-corruption fight.
“There are no two ways about it than to support Buhari so that anyone found wanting should face the law. That is what we need to do.’’
He pointed out that there was corruption all over the world, but that “the one in Nigeria is done with impunity”.
Agbonayinma said: “There is corruption in America, Europe and rest of the world, but those found guilty of it always face the law.
“Unfortunately in Nigeria, even though you are caught red-handed, you go scot-free, while those who steal N10, 000 or less go to jail and `pen robbers’ go free.
“Nigeria is not broke.
“Money in the hands of some corrupt elite is enough to keep the country afloat.”
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