By Dayo Omoogun
Nigeria lost about $750m to oil theft in the year 2019 , according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The Corporation’s Group Managing Director Malam Mele Kolo Kyari disclosed this as part of the presentation he made while addressing members of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 13 of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) who visited the NNPC Towers, Abuja, on a study tour on Tuesday.
He identified the security challenges facing the Corporation as vandalism of gas and oil installations, kidnapping of personnel with special emphasis on oil theft and piracy which he described as threat to its operations, stressing that any threat to the corporation’s operations is a threat to Nigeria.
He however disclosed that the corporation is collaborating with the various security agencies to tackle the challenges citing the recent “Operation Kurombe” carried out by the Nigerian Navy in the Atlas Cove as one of such collaborations.
Responding to issues raised about the impending energy shift from fossil fuel to renewables, the GMD opined that in spite of that move, fossil fuel will still be relevant and in high demand for some time.
“Even by 2050, fossil fuel would account for 80 per cent of the energy mix, and there would still be consumption of at least, 100 million barrels of oil per day. We are determined to remain relevant in the long term”, he assured.
On his part, the Executive Director, National Institute of Security Studies, Dr. Ayodele Adeleke, called for synergy among the security agencies to tackle the security challenges not only in the Gulf of Guinea, but in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry generally.