Contrary to insinuations in some quarters that oil theft is carried out by the Niger Delta youths, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has set the records straight.
He made the clarification while speaking at the 62nd Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Adebayo, a lawyer and private entrepreneur with interest in broadcast media and other sectors, is the founder and CEO of Kaftan TV.
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party said the federal government is responsible for the stealing of the oil in the Niger Delta region and not militants as it is painted, saying the Niger Delta youths don’t have that kind of investment to engage in oil theft.
“It is being stolen by the government and it is a fact I can make anywhere and there are two ways with which the government is stealing it.
Prince Adebayo, who is regarded as a mentor, godfather, life coach, friend and role model to many, disclosed that those in government steals oil from the offshore and do not remit same to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
A lawyer and businessman, Prince Adebayo had focused his energy on his private life until he realised that Nigerian political class have connived with “International criminals”.
The SDP Presidential candidate, disclosed that five months ago, he began a solo shout that 80 percent of the nation’s crude oil is been stolen, revealing that he carried out an investigation, but nobody listened to him “but I kept talking about it”.
According to him, “Until after four months the government said it was only 75 percent. Now, some politicians are getting the courage to repeat after me that 80 percent of our crude oil is been stolen.
“But what they have not told you is that who is stealing it and it is not stolen by militants or bandits, they cannot make that investment.
“It is being stolen by the government and it is a fact I can make anywhere and there are two ways with which the government is stealing it. There have always been this part of Non OPEC oil which people used to sell and there could be some governmental security reason for saying that.
“But there is a second part, which is that people in government for diverse reasons for which five minutes is not enough, have decided that the argument between the former governor of Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and the minister of Finance, Dr. Okonji Iweala, should not repeat itself because the government used to mismanage most of the money through NNPC.
“This time around, they decided that they will sell the oil offshore and the money will never get to Nigeria, that brings me to the second question, every statistics given to you be suspicious.
‘With due respect including the one given to you on this stage this afternoon because if you run a repeat after me mentality where the person who steals your money also report the stealing, you cannot get the answer”, he said.
