Hamisu Muhammad
13 December 2005
The Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),Engineer Funsho Kupolokun, has revealed that the country has recorded about 240 percent decrease in oil spill incidents within the last 5 years.
Kupolokun stated that "oil spill incidents dropped from 340 in 2000 to less than 100 in 2005, while volume of spill decreased from 78,000 barrels in 2001 to about 5,000 barrels in 2005".
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja recently on the progress made by the Gulf of Guinea Energy Security Strategy Initiative, Engr. Kupolokun, mentioned some initiatives taken by the present government to address the socio-economic and security problems of the Niger Delta and asserted that a significant measure of success has been achieved.
Kupolokun observed that, "there has been a downward trend in crude oil theft which showed a marked decline in 2005.
"Secondly", he noted that deferment in oil production as a result of vandalisation and community clashes with oil companies declined to 200,000 barrels per day in 2005, down from 400,000 in 2003.
He attributed the development to the implementation of the 13 percent derivation by the federal government, the formation of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) and the efforts of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), among others.
He explained that Nigeria and the US have agreed to partner in view of the interest that America has shown in the Niger Delta in order to help find a sustainable solution to the issue.
Responding, the United States ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell, said the US will assist Nigeria solve the unrelenting security problems in the Niger Delta area.
The US government however, affirmed that it does have a permanent military presence and, has no plans to form a military base in the Gulf of Guinea in future.
At the end of the meeting, both countries jointly declared a multi-facet approach to solving the unrelenting security problems in the Niger Delta which would see the Americans helping Nigeria to intercept disrupting illicit small arms trafficking and boosting coastal security, among others.
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