‘The High And Mighty Behind Oil Bunkering In Niger Delta’
A
lecturer in the Department of Sociology, University of Port Harcourt,
Dr. Sofiri Joab Peterside has alleged that some highly placed Nigerians
are involved in the crude oil bunkering operations going on in the Niger
Delta region.
Peterside made the allegations yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, in his keynote address at the 8th annual national environmental congress of the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), with the theme, “Extractives and Energy Transition: A Roadmap to Zero-Carbon Development.”
He said, “Oil bunkering has become an industry of its own in Nigeria. There is executive oil theft going on in the Niger Delta region. Those who are involved in this illegal act are mostly those who are in it just to ensure that they remain among the highly placed in the country.
“You may ask, why do our security men stationed at the Cawthorne channel turn the blind eye while ships come in to illegally load crude oil. You may also ask, who owns these ships.”
Peterside, whose keynote address was titled, “The Age of Fossil Fuels and the Emerging Quest for Sustainable Energy Model of Development,” expressed regrets that youths of the Niger Delta region die in their numbers on daily basis as a result of their involvement in illegal crude oil bunkering.
Earlier in his welcome address, executive director of ERA/FoEN, Dr. Godwin Ojo, noted that there was global crisis of development arising from inequalities in energy access, pointing out that apparent dichotomy in the way of energy was perceived in the global North and South.
Ojo said, “There is a global crisis of development arising from inequalities in energy access. There is apparent dichotomy in the way energy is perceived in the global North and South. For the North, energy security means continuous flow of natural resources especially, oil and gas and this often means militarisation of pipelines routes and drilling behind military shields.
“For the South, energy security means dispossession, poverty, violence, ecocide and crime against humanity at the sites of extraction. The poor energy access in the South can be addressed by the African proposal for global Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariffs system (REFiTs) that provide energy access to all.”
Peterside made the allegations yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, in his keynote address at the 8th annual national environmental congress of the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), with the theme, “Extractives and Energy Transition: A Roadmap to Zero-Carbon Development.”
He said, “Oil bunkering has become an industry of its own in Nigeria. There is executive oil theft going on in the Niger Delta region. Those who are involved in this illegal act are mostly those who are in it just to ensure that they remain among the highly placed in the country.
“You may ask, why do our security men stationed at the Cawthorne channel turn the blind eye while ships come in to illegally load crude oil. You may also ask, who owns these ships.”
Peterside, whose keynote address was titled, “The Age of Fossil Fuels and the Emerging Quest for Sustainable Energy Model of Development,” expressed regrets that youths of the Niger Delta region die in their numbers on daily basis as a result of their involvement in illegal crude oil bunkering.
Earlier in his welcome address, executive director of ERA/FoEN, Dr. Godwin Ojo, noted that there was global crisis of development arising from inequalities in energy access, pointing out that apparent dichotomy in the way of energy was perceived in the global North and South.
Ojo said, “There is a global crisis of development arising from inequalities in energy access. There is apparent dichotomy in the way energy is perceived in the global North and South. For the North, energy security means continuous flow of natural resources especially, oil and gas and this often means militarisation of pipelines routes and drilling behind military shields.
“For the South, energy security means dispossession, poverty, violence, ecocide and crime against humanity at the sites of extraction. The poor energy access in the South can be addressed by the African proposal for global Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariffs system (REFiTs) that provide energy access to all.”
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