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By Jimitota ONOYUME OIL theft is not new in the Niger Delta, but its rising index in recent times is constituting serious worries to government, security agencies and other stakeholders in the oil and gas business in the country. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieut. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, met with his top officers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to critically look at  how to nip the crime effectively and tackle the problem. Ihejirika told  SWEETCRUDE before the meeting that he was in the state to, among other things, discuss with his men on how best they could achieve concrete success in the anti bunkering crusade. [caption id="attachment_251637" align="alignnone" width="412"] File Photo: Nigerian Navy[/caption] The Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC and Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr Mutiu Sunmonu, has consistently lamented the negative impact of oil theft on the nation’s economy. At an interactive session with m...

Abuja - Senate President David Mark on Monday advocated stiff punishment for anyone caught vandalising national assets and infrastructure irrespective of status to serve as deterrent. Mark made the call in a remark at the opening of a two-day Stakeholders' Forum held in Abuja on ``Protection of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI).’’ The form was organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) for stakeholders to interact and come out with measures to protect state assets. Mark, however, noted that some of those charged with the responsibility of handling and protecting the assets colluded with vandals to destroy such infrastructure for selfish reasons. The senate president, who was represented by Sen. Mohammed Magoro, Chairman, Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, said that the most critical asset of any nation was its human resource. According to him, protection of assets must start from within not from without and the critical asse...

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South,Sam Oyadongha, Yenagoa & Jimitota Onoyume, Port Harcourt How barons, military personnel, govt officials, IOC’s bleed the nation The fear over 2013 revenue target This is the concluding part of the investigative story on how members of a powerful cabal continue to conspire, robbing in the process, Nigerians of billions of dollars. It is very revealing but also represents a narrative on how mis-governance inspired by greed makes a mockery of the nation. Production projections NNPC said after repair works on the Nembe Creek Trunk Line, which has a daily capacity of 150,000 bpd, “daily average crude oil production is expected to increase to 2.50 m/bpd which will exceed the national daily target of 2.48 m/bpd.” It added, “Our expectation is to increase production from the 2.48 to 2.55 m/bpd (both crude and condensate) for the rest of the year. We have the capacity and potential to maintain production above 2.55 m/bpd in the country. “All that...