Friday, November 27, 2015
Oil thieves make away with $250m worth of oil from pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria
Thieves have stolen nearly $250m (£165m) of oil from a single pipeline this year, Nigeria's state oil company says.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said half a billion litres were taken from the pipeline that runs north-east from Lagos.
Long queues have formed at petrol stations across Nigeria in recent days.
Governments blame pipeline vandalism and theft in the oil sector for fuel shortages and damaging the economy.
An NNPC subsidiary told a Senate committee that "incessant hacking" of the System 2B pipeline had "made the task of providing seamless flow of petroleum products to retail outlets more burdensome".
The pipeline stretches 250km from the financial hub Lagos to the city of Ilorin.
The company said it was working to resolve the issue.
"We have been pushing 35 million litres every day to the market and there's no reason why there shouldn't be fuel," said Esther Nnamdi Ogbue, managing director of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, a subsidiary.
She blamed "sharp practices" such as hoarding in some areas.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil exporter, but a lack of refining capacity means drivers rely on imported petrol and there are frequent fuel shortages.
In May the country was brought to a virtual standstill after importers shut depots over subsidy payments.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to scrap the subsidy scheme, which critics say is rife with corruption, but a previous attempt to stop the payments led to violent mass protests in 2012.
However, in August NNPC managing director Emmanuel Kachikwu said the subsidies were an unsustainable drain on the economy, which has suffered as global oil prices have fallen.
BBC
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said half a billion litres were taken from the pipeline that runs north-east from Lagos.
Long queues have formed at petrol stations across Nigeria in recent days.
Governments blame pipeline vandalism and theft in the oil sector for fuel shortages and damaging the economy.
An NNPC subsidiary told a Senate committee that "incessant hacking" of the System 2B pipeline had "made the task of providing seamless flow of petroleum products to retail outlets more burdensome".
The pipeline stretches 250km from the financial hub Lagos to the city of Ilorin.
The company said it was working to resolve the issue.
"We have been pushing 35 million litres every day to the market and there's no reason why there shouldn't be fuel," said Esther Nnamdi Ogbue, managing director of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, a subsidiary.
She blamed "sharp practices" such as hoarding in some areas.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil exporter, but a lack of refining capacity means drivers rely on imported petrol and there are frequent fuel shortages.
In May the country was brought to a virtual standstill after importers shut depots over subsidy payments.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to scrap the subsidy scheme, which critics say is rife with corruption, but a previous attempt to stop the payments led to violent mass protests in 2012.
However, in August NNPC managing director Emmanuel Kachikwu said the subsidies were an unsustainable drain on the economy, which has suffered as global oil prices have fallen.
BBC
Five polish sailors kidnapped off the coast of Nigeria
Five Polish sailors are being held by kidnappers after a cargo ship belonging to a Polish company was attacked off the Nigerian coast, an incident Poland says highlights the need to review safety procedures of vessels operating in the area.
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told a news conference of Friday that kidnappers had made no demands so far, and that Poland was liaising with Nigerian authorities, but would not get involved directly unless asked to do so.
"This is a responsibility of the sovereign state of Nigeria," Waszczykowski said.
No traces of blood were discovered on the ship, which operates under the Cyprus flag, he said. The kidnapped sailors included the captain and officers.
"The rest of the crew, 11 people, are still on the ship and they are safe... The ship suffered some damage," Waszczykowski said.
The ship is currently anchored around 30 sea miles - roughly 56 kilometers - off the Nigerian coast, with the operator arranging for a new crew to take it back to port.
The area where the kidnapping took place was not traditionally frequented by pirates, Polish Maritime Minister Marek Grobarczyk said.
Grobarczyk said the safety procedures of all Polish companies operating in the area would now be reviewed to ensure sailors' safety.
Reuters
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told a news conference of Friday that kidnappers had made no demands so far, and that Poland was liaising with Nigerian authorities, but would not get involved directly unless asked to do so.
"This is a responsibility of the sovereign state of Nigeria," Waszczykowski said.
No traces of blood were discovered on the ship, which operates under the Cyprus flag, he said. The kidnapped sailors included the captain and officers.
"The rest of the crew, 11 people, are still on the ship and they are safe... The ship suffered some damage," Waszczykowski said.
The ship is currently anchored around 30 sea miles - roughly 56 kilometers - off the Nigerian coast, with the operator arranging for a new crew to take it back to port.
The area where the kidnapping took place was not traditionally frequented by pirates, Polish Maritime Minister Marek Grobarczyk said.
Grobarczyk said the safety procedures of all Polish companies operating in the area would now be reviewed to ensure sailors' safety.
Reuters
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Video - Cleaning up the oil industry in Nigeria
Nigeria's oil sector has faced allegations of government corruption for years. Nearly $30bn has been lost over the last three years. President Muhammadu Buhari says tackling graft in the oil sector is a top priority. Nigeria depends on oil for more than 80 percent of its revenues.
Army says Boko Haram can't be eliminated by December deadline
Nigeria's military cannot meet the president's December deadline to crush Boko Haram's Islamic uprising, and Nigerians must expect suicide bombings to continue, a government spokesman said Thursday.
Air Commodore Yusuf Anas of the Center for Crisis Communication said the deadline "may be unrealistic" and warned Nigerians not to view December as a "sacrosanct date when all suicide bombings will end."
The 6-year-old uprising already has killed 20,000 people and driven 2.3 million from the homes. Millions of dollars worth of property has been destroyed.
"The timeline on when to stop the insurgents from activating sleeper cells and detonating bombs into soft targets in any part of the country, especially in the frontline states, is therefore not tenable."
Forces from Nigeria and neighboring Chad earlier this year drove the extremists out of areas in which they had proclaimed an Islamic caliphate. Recently, the Nigerian Air Force and ground troops have reported destroying numerous Boko Haram camps and freeing more than 1,000 kidnap victims.
In June, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the military to crush the insurgency by December, but the extremists have pushed back with village raids and urban suicide bombings that have killed more than 1,500 people.
Last month, Buhari told the commander of the U.S. Africa Command, Gen. David Rodriguez, that improved training, weapons, logistics and welfare had well-positioned Nigerian forces to break the back of the uprising.
"Structured attacks by the insurgents have reduced and by the end of the year, we should see the final routing of Boko Haram as an organized fighting force," Buhari said.
Boko Haram was named the world's most deadly extremist group in the Global Terrorism Index last week, with 6,644 deaths attributed to it in 2014 — more than any other extremist group.
AP
Air Commodore Yusuf Anas of the Center for Crisis Communication said the deadline "may be unrealistic" and warned Nigerians not to view December as a "sacrosanct date when all suicide bombings will end."
The 6-year-old uprising already has killed 20,000 people and driven 2.3 million from the homes. Millions of dollars worth of property has been destroyed.
"The timeline on when to stop the insurgents from activating sleeper cells and detonating bombs into soft targets in any part of the country, especially in the frontline states, is therefore not tenable."
Forces from Nigeria and neighboring Chad earlier this year drove the extremists out of areas in which they had proclaimed an Islamic caliphate. Recently, the Nigerian Air Force and ground troops have reported destroying numerous Boko Haram camps and freeing more than 1,000 kidnap victims.
In June, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the military to crush the insurgency by December, but the extremists have pushed back with village raids and urban suicide bombings that have killed more than 1,500 people.
Last month, Buhari told the commander of the U.S. Africa Command, Gen. David Rodriguez, that improved training, weapons, logistics and welfare had well-positioned Nigerian forces to break the back of the uprising.
"Structured attacks by the insurgents have reduced and by the end of the year, we should see the final routing of Boko Haram as an organized fighting force," Buhari said.
Boko Haram was named the world's most deadly extremist group in the Global Terrorism Index last week, with 6,644 deaths attributed to it in 2014 — more than any other extremist group.
AP
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