Miffed by the mind-blowing revelation of oil theft in the Niger Delta region, oil and gas host communities have called for the immediate resignation or sack of the Group Managing Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Melee Kyari.

The communities noted with dismay that the recent revelation of such magnitude of oil theft has once again thrown up Nigeria as a country that is blighted by the unimaginable level of corruption that is not abating anytime soon.

A statement on Sunday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State signed by Joseph Ambakederimo, Chairman, Board of Trustees of Community Development Communities of Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas (CDC), said the exposition of the 4-kilometer long oil pipe theft was enough for Mele Kyari to have resigned his position or be sacked by the NNPC Board.

“This has to be so because NNPC Limited, now a public company that is governed by the Companies and Allied Matters Act must be managed by competent hands and people with proven character and managerial skills for profitability,” CDC added.

The host communities said though the recent revelation may not be a new development in the history of the country’s oil business, they argued that those who discovered this illegal pipeline have more to tell Nigerians what they know and who the perpetrators are rather than presenting themselves as patriots just to hoodwink Nigerians one more time.

“We need more compelling disclosures from these persons who have overnight discovered this illegal pipeline because mobilising resources and equipment and materials to execute this project is not achieved in one day. People in the environs and officials of the IOCs and Security services that are scattered all over the rivers and creeks want to now absolve themselves,” the communities stated.

Ambakaderimo said in the statement that the promise of the attainment of three million barrels of crude oil per day by Mele Kyari has now become a mirage, adding that what Nigeria presently produces is less than one million barrels per day which is far less than what it produced when Kyari assumed office. (Daily Independent)

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