President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday described as embarrassing a situation where Nigeria has come to be identified as the only country in which crude oil is stolen, saying government must be decisive in its bid to stop the trend.
This is just as Finance Minister ans coordinating minister for the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has hinted that the country loses over N2trillion annually in capital flight to foreign countries which own vessels used to lift about 150 million tons of cargos including oil products from Nigerian.
Speaking at the presidential maritime security workshop held at the Banquet hall of the presidential villa, Abuja, Jonathan said, "It is embarrassing that it is only in Nigeria that crude oil is stolen. We will be decisive in putting an end to this malaise. Our charge to all relevant agencies and departments of government is to work cooperatively with the required urgency this challenge deserves.
"In your deliberations, you must place focus on evolving a strong intelligence base and information gathering system, and measures so that crude oil theft is completely eliminated. The strengthening of regulatory oversight and deepening Inter-Agency partnership should also engage your attention.
"I request participants to this workshop to come up with deliverables that provide details on roles and responsibilities of stakeholders and timelines for harnessing the huge potentials in the maritime sector so that our losses will, in the shortest possible time, be converted to our net gains".
Noting that Nigerians were looking forward to a better managed and result-oriented maritime sector, the president said, "We cannot afford to disappoint our people. The area of institutions for capacity building in the maritime industry needs to be properly examined. This time, I expect Nigeria to have some of the best maritime academy for training our people and also for the people of the sub-region.
"I am pleased to convene this retreat with the theme "Harnessing the Potential of Nigeria's Maritime Sector for Sustainable Economic Development". The Coordinating Minister of the Economy/Honourable Minister of Finance, in collaboration with her colleagues in the cabinet, was requested to organise series of workshops where key issues in the priority sectors of the economy would be addressed.
"The workshops were also to enable us assess progress, review challenges, chart a realistic way forward and where necessary, indicate timelines for the attainment of set goals.
"The maritime sector is a critical component in the economic development of a modern state. It is in this regard that we incorporated it as a major component of our Transformation Agenda. The sector without doubt, facilitates approximately 90 per cent of world trade, creates millions of jobs and generates billions of dollars in economic output. The sector, to say the least, is a major engine in our national growth strategy.
"Our maritime industry helped to enhance our position as a regional leader in several areas. Besides improved prospects in traditional sea-related activities such as fishing, shipping, ship-building and repairs, agriculture and tourism, the sector is a major hub in offshore oil exploration and production activities and will remain so in the foreseeable future.
"Given its importance in the national economy, we have an uncompromising obligation to safeguard our territorial waters against all threats: poaching, piracy, pipeline vandalism, coastal insecurity, crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, non-payment of statutory levies and charges, illegal entry of ships into our territorial waters, illegal importation of arms and hard drugs, among other sundry crimes.
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LAMENTING AND BLAMING ECONOMIC, GOVERNMENTAL POLICIES NON PERFORMANCE ON BOKO HARAM TERRORISM- WHERE PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN GOT IT WRONG Obviously reeling in pains and which any ordinary human being with blood of mercy in his/her veins would share with him, President Goodluck Jonathan of very recent opened up lamenting that the Boko Haram terrorism had made his presidency unable to perform. This however ran counter to Mr. Presidents double speaking at two different occasions on the Boko Haram issue and a clear portrayal of something at the national level going awry which particularly anecdotes on Sunday the 24th June 2012 during his presidential live chat with the media where he claimed that “ the aim of the Boko Haram insurgency is to destabilize his government and make it unable to function, vowing that his administration would do all that is necessary to halt their terrorist activities” but the following day Monday 25 July 2012 at Uyo, Akwa Ibom where he tumbled thought, changing gear to claim that “ resort to do or die politics by some politicians are fuelling the rage of terrorism in the country” The fact must however be faced that the Boko Haram insurgency that had so far claimed well over a thousand innocent lives, wickedly injured and maimed thousands others and rendered moribund the peace and economic well being of the nation and particularly that of most Northern States of Nigeria the last two years could not have being that successful this far without the support and financing of some political mishmash and devils in human skin. It is becomes apt to say that the since there can be no smoke without fire, the Boko Haram bloodletting, Oil pilfering and wanton disregard to lawful authority in Niger Delta region culminating in the arms twisting of the Federal Government, so far of 1 billion US dollar gulping to the so called amnesty program et al could not have lasted this far with highly damaging effects to the nation without the support and funding of Nigerian politicians who are nothing than criminals in power. Without mincing words and talking straightway facts, a lot of us so called Nigerian politicians are shameless rogues devoid of humanity related values. Records unveiling of dastardly innuendo of scams and national political office holders’ disgrace the past twelve years of Nigeria’s current democracy experimentation, it hurts to note that well over 50 billion US dollars had been seriously calculated stolen from the purse of the nation by those criminals in power and or their gluttony associates and which stolen funds are unfortunately stacked away overseas not only to boost the other nations’ economies but largely to aid and finance intransigencies, volatilities and insurgencies the like those of the dreaded Boko Haram, Niger Delta militants, the once very quiet and respected Fulani herdsmen now turned highly sophisticated murderous tribe and pockets of others. From the unresolved 241 million British pounds National ID Cards scam; the US$ 6.8 billion fraud involving government petroleum products oil subsidy; the unpaid bill of US$ 3.5 by the Federal government to the oil traders ; the well over US$ 5 billion according to Mr. Muttiu Sumonu, the Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company, Nigeria loses to oil thieves annually; this as recently evidenced by the impounding by a special Naval team on 9th June 2012 of a French ship loaded with well over 8.5 barrel Nigerian crude oil; the arrest made on Monday 16 July 2012 by Joint Task Force of 146 oil thieves in Port Harcourt; the Naira 2.8 billion toll revenue collected which the Accountant General of the Federation cannot account for; the US$ 244 according to Reuters report made Monday 16 July 2012 that the Federal government swindled NNPC off; the Naira 927 billion contracts President Jonathan hurriedly awarded in just 10 months of his 13 months in office and which will require about another Naira 7 Trillion to complete; the unresolved Naira 50 billion Police Equipment Trust Fund scam; the stealing of about Naira 32. 8 billion stolen Pension Trust Fund; the recently discovered by the Senate of Naira 44 billion missing from the Federal government’s Special Intervention Funds on Solid Minerals; the about Naira 250 billion members of Nigeria National Assembly wasted annually on foreign trips; the about Naira 81 billion Nigeria government officials and politicians wasted on overseas medical tourism; the rising debts to Naira 1.2 trillion by the Federal government to its creditors; And the about 25.5 percent of annual budgetary expenditure that goes to the members of the National Assembly unaccounted for are barely a few stupendous and frightening revelations to keep the minds of the concerned abreast of the ongoing sordid, beasty and shameful stealing at high level and official quarters in Nigeria. The current parlous socio, economic and political state of the nation, no doubt informed Nigeria being sadly and embarrassingly recently ranked the 14th failed country of the world and which truly it is. Unfortunately of the gargantuan thieving from the nation’s treasury by shameless maggots particularly since 1999 Nigeria’s start up of democratic experimentation, there had been only one conviction of the disgraced Bode George out of hundreds of many to show for the seriousness of the government fighting crimes associated with endemic corruption in Nigeria. Others thieves and executive robbers have devised means and ways of hiring and stuffing the mouths of artful dodger lawyers like them with good part of their loots to hold in handcuffs the judicial system of the nation preventing them being timely sent to the gulag. From the detailed analysis hereby brought bare, President Goodluck Jonathan would have no doubt learnt a lesson or two that rather than lamenting and blaming the woes of the nation solely on Boko Haram terrorists, endemic corruption is the greatest enemy holding himself and his government down from performing. From the very minute Goodluck Jonathan summons courage to fight corruption to a standstill he would have to a very large extent, provided a clear cut solution to the mirage of security challenges facing the nation and that are preventing his government from performing. Concerted and serious efforts made from now onwards by President Goodluck Jonathan to assiduously tackle and kill the game plan of endemic corruption elementals before the boat of the nation hits the rock and drown will have a double barrel approach killing not only Boko Haram insurgency but the menacing devil’s making life impossible to live for him and us all. There is no escaping the fact that the most wicked and dangerous of enemies President Goodluck Jonathan has now is endemic corruption and this has to be urgently tackled and killed before it kills him and put paid to the existence of the nationhood of Nigeria. Dr. Olapade Agoro (Aladura Patriarch) President, National Peace Initiative Forum (NAPIF) The Promoter of Africa Peace Award 2012 National Chairman/ former Presidential Candidate, National Action Council (NAC)