Nigeria loses about $4.4 billion monthly to oil theft, masterminded by “Nigerians who have become International Criminals”, with its attendant effect on environmental degradation.
Presidential candidate under the auspices of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, made the disclosure during an interview with newsmen after commissioning the Delta Central Campaign Secretariat of the party located along Warri-Sapele road, Delta State.
He said that Nigeria is currently losing the said amount of money monthly to the federal government who he accused of being behind oil theft activities in the Niger Delta region.
“As I am talking to you now, there are people stealing billions of dollars worth of oil. I am not talking about injustice of the past, continuous robbery going on now.
“For the past five months I have been shouting that 80% of our crude oil is been stolen. I keep shouting about it because that is the money that can make a Dubai out of every city in Nigeria, that is been stolen.
“It is only recently when the pressure was too much that the minister said it is not the 80 percent of crude oil that is stolen that I said. That it was only 75 percent. I don’t see any much difference between 80 percent and 75 percent.
“To show you that we know the quantity of crude oil that they are stealing. This is not militants because the ship they are using to steal is as big as this compound.
“No militant has that kind of ship and where they are taking it to, I know the place in Europe, I talk to them there and there are no militants there. The account they are paying the money, is not a militant account.
“And it is been stolen by the government we elected into office and it is been stolen by the connivance and quietude of the governors who are from the Niger Delta. They are stealing the wealth and robbing the poor.
“Before, they use to steal money through NNPC but since my friend, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, started making noise that over $20 billow was not remitted, they started hiding, selling the crude on the sea without putting the money in NNPC”.
He revealed that there are people in the president Muhammadu Buhari s government who are richer that Delta State, with monies from oil theft activities.
Speaking further, the entrepreneur said: “If the Nigerian government wants to stop $4.4 billion dollars from being stolen this month, they can take the decision now.
“The Chief of Naval Staff was replying to me yesterday that I was exaggerating the amount of theft. That the theft is smaller than the amount I am mentioning and that I am exaggerating other looses and I replied him, are working for the enemy or you are working for us?
He charged the Chief of Naval Staff to go after the criminals, insisting, “If I am saying that they are stealing 80 percent of our crude oil, catch them and find out if what I am saying is not true because I know my facts”, he noted.
