PROTEST HITS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AS SENATE, REPS TACKLE CRUDE OIL THEFT. (PHOTO).

 Protest hits N’Assembly as Senate, Reps tackle crude oil theft

Scores of demonstrators staged a protest on Wednesday at the National Assembly, as lawmakers intensified deliberations on crude oil theft and pipeline security in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta.

The protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition of Civil Society for Economic Protection, marched to the legislative complex, chanting solidarity songs and waving placards bearing inscriptions such as “Oil thieves Are Conspiring Against Tantita” and “Say No to Oil Bunkering.”

They were, however, prevented from gaining access to the premises by security personnel, including officers of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies.

The protest comes amid heightened legislative attention on oil theft, which has long undermined Nigeria’s crude oil output, depleted government revenue, and fuelled insecurity in host communities.

As part of efforts to address the challenge, the Joint Senate and House Committees on Petroleum Resources will, in a few hours, begin a parliamentary roundtable on the state of pipeline security and the battle against crude oil theft.

Among the dignitaries expected to attend are the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere; Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu; Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; and Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi.

Others include Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Senator Eteng Williams; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.); Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; and Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Limited, Kestin Pondi, among others.

Addressing journalists during the protest, the convener of the group, Tesleem Kolawole, urged lawmakers not to compromise on pipeline security and the future of the Niger Delta.

He said, “We call on the lawmakers to sincerely and holistically look at the journey of Tantita from when they started securing the country to date, without fear or favour. They should examine the modus operandi of the contract and its primary aim to determine whether it has been successful or not.