An advocacy group, Movement for the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta, has advised the Federal Government to tow the path of former president Olusegun Obasanjo in tackling oil theft.
This was contained in a statement by its spokesman, Kelvin Orughoe.
Orughoe urged the Federal Government to tackle economic hardship in order not to allow it to snowball into national crisis.
Obasanjo had attributed the poor state of Nigeria’s economy to the country’s intentional poor record keeping of the production capacity of crude oil and that 80 per cent of crude oil produced is stolen, thereby depriving the country of attaining its OPEC quota, according to The Nation.
Orughoe said the position of Obasanjo was a clear statement made, based on intelligence and in-depth knowledge of the failed battles against crude oil theft in the country.
“It is time for the Federal Government to weigh Obasanjo’s stance and take the bull by the horns to tackle the menace of crude oil theft,” he said.
He added, “We agree with the position of the ex-warlords that it is time for the states to begin to control and manage their natural resources and contribute certain percentages to the Federation Account.”