Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), has asserted that Nigeria is making substantial progress in its fight against oil theft and pipeline vandalism. This improvement is reflected in the recent surge in oil production volumes across the country.
During an inspection visit to Amal Tech Limited’s factory in Idu, Abuja, Lokpobiri emphasized the government’s commitment to tackling the issue of oil theft, which has long plagued Nigeria’s economy.
“Everybody knows that oil theft is one of the biggest economic problems that we have. And we are battling them,” he stated.
He highlighted the progress made since he assumed office, noting a significant increase in daily oil production.
“When I became minister, we were doing, daily, about one million barrels, but today we are doing 1.7 million barrels inclusive of condensate. So, we are winning the war. We are not where we want to be. But certainly, it’s a tremendous improvement as far as the issue of oil theft is concerned. We will continue to battle until we get to 2 million, 2.5 million barrels.”
Lokpobiri also praised Amal Tech Limited for its achievements despite being one of the least funded beneficiaries of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s support fund.
The company, initially focused on developing a device to monitor smoke and gas leaks, has expanded its operations to include the production of electricity meters and pipeline surveillance systems.
“We are committed to working with them; committed to strengthening our partnership with them, so that together we will be able to reduce the level of oil theft to the barest minimum,” Lokpobiri added, underscoring the importance of collaboration between the government and private sector in addressing this critical issue.
Earlier, Shehu Tijjani Abdullahi, the Managing Director/CEO of Amal Tech, highlighted the company’s use of reverse engineering technology to develop several products that reduce Nigeria’s reliance on foreign imports.
He also expressed gratitude for the government’s support and emphasized that their pipeline surveillance system could play a vital role in safeguarding Nigeria’s critical infrastructure.