Tambuwal, Others Task EU on Oil Theft

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, speaker of the House of Representatives, has urged the European Union (EU) and the African Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) to assist Nigeria address the issue of oil theft.
Tambuwal, who made the call at the end of the 10th Regional Meeting (West Africa) of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU JPA) in Abuja, preempted the parliament, who rose up from its three-day meeting to advice that all illegally sourced crude oil from Nigeria should not be bought in Europe.
The speaker, who noted that whatever is being taken out of Nigeria is taken to a particular destination, suggested the EU and other countries to come up with positive legislation to address the issue.
“I will take the advantage of this platform to implore members of the EU to support Nigeria’s efforts in addressing the issue of oil theft. As a parliament, we are coming up with a legislation to ensure that we very stiff sanctions against the perpetrators of this crime. But we need your support because whatever is being taken out of Nigeria is being taken to a particular destination.
“Those companies and individuals that are on the other hand are not citizens necessarily of Nigeria. Therefore, we need the cooperation of your parliaments and governments to also address this challenge. If possible, we require a very positive legislative action from various parliaments – all the EU and other countries that are destinations for the products that are being stolen from Nigeria to such countries,” he appealed.
Tambuwal noted the impact of such crime is not only affecting government’s revenue, but also the growth and development of the economy and indeed the Nigerian people.
Concerned at the high rates of oil thefts, wastage and illegal bunkering, which lead to substantial revenue losses and environmental degradation, the parliament advised in its communiqué that all illegally sourced crude oil from Africa, particularly Nigeria should not be bought in Europe.
Members, who agreed that that ‘Energy for All’ should be considered one of the global development goals in the post-2015 agenda, called for renewable sources of energy for sustainable development to be taken into account.
“With particular regard to the Nigerian oil industry, members stressed the need to ensure that the revenues generated from the extractive industry are distributed transparently and equitably through the national budget in order to contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction,” the communiqué read in part.