- Mele Kyari has said that the company has destroyed 7,500 illegal refineries as part of an effort to tackle oil theft.
- Kyari highlighted that Nigeria was battling access to energy and not energy transition, adding that oil and gas demand would not fizzle out shortly.
The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has said that as part of an effort to tackle oil theft, the company has destroyed 7,500 illegal refineries and disconnected about 6,800 illegal pipeline connections in the Niger Delta.
Kyari disclosed over the weekend during a fireside chat at the 2024 Future of Work Summit, which was organised by Productive Youth Network (PYN) and had the theme “Nigeria of Possibilities: Challenges, Prospects and Strategies for the Future of Work.”
Kyari said, “Over 2,000 illegal connections remain to be removed, but we will surely get to the end.” Speaking further, he said oil theft had persisted not just because of failure or absence of technology but also because of the absence of intelligence and reaction.
He disclosed that the president had directed that the 13 per cent derivative fund reach communities and that NDDC should also ensure communities were carried along. NNPCL was working to ensure the communities had a stake in oil and gas exploration.
Kyari highlighted that Nigeria was battling access to energy rather than energy transition, adding that oil and gas demand would not soon fizzle out.
He also said no country has developed without access to energy. Even in the US, every major city is developed through access to energy, which empowers industries and contributes to their economic prosperity.
He noted, “However, in Nigeria, we are battling a lack of clean energy access. Seventy per cent of the country’s population doesn’t have access to clean energy, and 56 per cent doesn’t have access to cooking fuel. Unless we resolve this, we can’t have economic prosperity.”