The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has revealed that foreigners embark on oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal mining, and daylight stealing of solid minerals with the complicity of Nigerians.

The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Orji Ogbonnaya Orji made this known in his remarks at the United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day 2023 in Abuja.

According to him, the crime is masterminded by foreigners with the complicity of Nigerians.

He said: “In this sector, Nigeria is still perhaps the only resource-rich country confronted with the peculiar challenges of oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal mining, and daylight stealing of our solid minerals, painfully by foreigners with the collusion of our citizens.”

According to him, in oil theft alone, Nigeria lost over 619 million barrels of crude valued at $ 46.16 billion or N16.25 trillion Naira between 2009 and 2020.

He added that the country lost 4.2 billion litres of petroleum products from refineries, valued at $1.84 billion at the rate of 140,000 barrels per day from 2009 to 2018.

Orji said pipelines, critical national assets, were also vandalized as NEITI also disclosed in its reports. In the past five years, 2017 to 2021, Nigeria recorded 7,143 cases of pipeline breakages and deliberate vandalism resulting in crude theft and product losses of 208.639 million barrels valued at $12.74 million or N4.325 trillion.

NEITI Reports, according to him, also disclosed that during the same period Nigeria spent over N471. 493 billion to either repair or maintain these pipelines.

He said as a member of the Inter-Agency Task Team, NEITI believes collaborations and partnerships between stakeholders present here today can create innovative yet efficient and sustainable ways to proffer solutions to address the corruption issues plaguing the country.

Orji noted that NEITI is committed to supporting the fight against corruption through the sharing of credible information and data to ensure that corruption is minimized if not eliminated, in the governance of Nigeria’s extractive sector and recommends the EITI model of multi-stakeholder consensus building and oversight as an option to implant accountability mechanisms in our governance institutions.

He called on the stakeholders to have a robust discussion on issues that will centre on promoting transparency and strengthening accountability institutions to sustain peace, security, and the overall development of Nigeria.

In his keynote address, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, recalled that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) under President Muhammadu Buhari, at its 25^th Meeting, held on 5^th July 2017 approved the adoption of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and directed the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to come up with a robust implementation plan for the NACS 2017-2021.

He said at the expiration of the NACS 2017-2021, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the 23^rd November, 2022 considered and approved the extension of the NACS 2017- 2021 for a period of 4 years (2022-2026).

Fagbemi said pursuant to the approval by FEC the Ministry in collaboration with the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) continued to interface with MDAs on the review of the NACS Policy document and the development of the NACS Action Plan for 2022-2026.

The minister noted that the Framework for the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy is focused on five Pillars which serve as the driving force for both the public and private sectors.

The pillars, he said, are Prevention of Corruption; Public Engagement; Campaign for Ethical Re-orientation; Enforcement and Sanction; and Recovery and Management of Proceeds of Crime.

Fagbemi also noted each of the Pillars will be implemented under the following headings: Strengthening the Legal and Institutional Framework Designed to Prevent and Combat Corruption; Mainstreaming Anti-Corruption Principles into Governance and Service Delivery; and Mainstreaming Anti-Corruption into Sub-national Public Administration.

The head of the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), Mrs. Jane Onwumere noted that the 9^th of December is a day designated globally to raise awareness on the negative effects of corruption on diverse aspects of our lives, and to restate commitment to the fight against corruption.

She said this year represents the 20^th year of the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption by the UNCAC.

She revealed that Nigeria was one of the early signatories to the Convention and has since shown commitment to the fight against corruption by making sure our treaty obligations are fulfilled. (The Nation)

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