Send Military Chiefs To Niger Delta – PENGASSAN Tells Tinubu

Oil workers, under the auspices of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), have called on President Bola Tinubu to order the nation’s military chiefs to relocate to the Niger Delta as a way of curbing oil theft.

The call was made by the President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo, who spoke on behalf of the oil workers at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union on Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, if the challenge of oil theft was resolved, Nigeria’s crude oil production could increase by 30 per cent, leading to a stabilization of the economy.

Osifo said while it is good that the government is pursuing diversification of the economy, it can’t happen overnight, and there is the need to pay more attention to oil production in the Niger Delta region as the country would be better off for it.

Osifo said: “We have tried to let government understand that they need to pay more attention to what’s happening in the Niger Delta. We’re talking about solid minerals they are quite good, we are talking about diversification they are quite good but they cannot come overnight. The easiest solution and what can come readily overnight is actually incremental production of crude oil today.

“If all is done the right way we could increase our crude oil production by nothing less than 30%. When this is done it’s going to give us more forex, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) could have much more financial muscles to be able to defend our naira. We implore President Tinubu to ask his commanders to relocate to Niger Delta and ensure that this menace of crude oil theft is put to a halt.

“If you put it to a halt you will be able to generate more revenue and at the end of the day, the Nigerian state will be better for it.”