The Academy of International Affairs has described as disheartening persistent reports of illegal oil bunkering and oil thefts in the country.

It called for a judicial inquiry into the trend to firm up the nation’s revenue base and restore its status in the international economy.

The academy also noted that oil theft and illegal bunkering, which has been going on for a long time under the watch of government officials and security personnel, have robbed the nation of crucial revenue.

A statement by the former Minister of External Affairs, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, who is the President and Fellow of the Academy of International Affairs on behalf of the fellows of the academy yesterday said, from investigations carried out by reputable organisations, including past Report of Justice Ayo Irikefe Tribunal of Inquiry of 1978/79 on the loss of billions of oil revenues, “It is obvious that some foreign oil companies whose pipelines have been tapped and vandalised between their production fields to their export terminals have also been involved in the oil scandals.”

The academy also noted that there have been connivance with criminals by state officials who keep mute as the Nigerian oil is being illegally bunkered and shipped away for sale in the international market, adding that the proceeds are laundered in international financial institutions and banks in tax-free havens.

It added that Nigeria, which had become more prominent in international trade during the Arab/Israel war of 1973 when the country was supplying oil to the Western nations which were sanctioned by Arab oil states due to the Western support for Israel, has fallen in ranking in the international community through the activities of oil thieves and illegal oil bunkerers.

“Consequently in the aftermath of that war in 1973, oil prices quadrupled and oil revenues to the Federal Government tripled, which was the basis of Nigerian ‘instant wealth’ or ‘oil boom’. This spilled over into the realm of foreign reserves where the country’s net international reserves position rose tremendously,” the academy stated.

The statement added, “Shortly before then in July 1971, Nigeria became a member of OPEC and has been playing noticeable roles, including offering three Nigerian personalities who made our country proud as past Secretary-General of the organisation.

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“Unfortunately, due to oil thefts by terrible cartels, Nigeria, which has been enjoying comfortable OPEC quotas of about two million barrels per day of crude oil supplies to the world market, has now been reduced to less than one million barrels per day, quite below its current OPEC quota.”

According to the academy, the most troubling aspect of the situation is that despite the presence of armed security personnel, including the army, navy, police, security and civil defence, customs, and others, apart from NNPCL; oil thefts have been going on with reckless abandon.

“Is it not a big shame that a private company, Tanita Security Services Limited, owned by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has to be employed where Nigerian security failed, and Tompolo’s company discovered and unfolded hidden, though an open secret, export pipelines being utilised by oil thieves to illegally bunker our vital resources?

“Certainly these sophisticated four-kilometre pipelines discovered by Tompolo and other pipelines around the oil-producing areas in the Delta region and the creeks could not have been constructed and installed by the natives without being found out by the Nigerian security.

“Is it not nerve-racking that the Ministers of Petroleum Resources for many years have been the presidents of this country, and under their watch, so much oil revenues have been stolen, resulting in large amounts of our revenues going to dangerous cartels and private hands rather than government coffers? This is unacceptable,” the academy queried.

It also noted that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s 2008 United Nations General Assembly’s address focused on this issue which he termed “blood money”, referring to these illegal oil proceeds.

The academy also noted, “Yar’Adua had called for concerted international support and action against this criminal conspiracy and fraud against Nigeria.

“Nigeria depends so much on revenues from petroleum to meet both its annual budgets, development plans, payments of its debt, as well as its international obligations.”

It also noted that, with the current high price of crude oil in the world market, “it is a great opportunity for Nigeria to meet its OPEC quota and earn good money to balance its budgets, put an end to deficit financing, foreign debt, and improve the country‘s economy so that it will no longer be called the poverty capital of the world.

Concluding, the academy said it believes that it is an exercise in futility to ask some of those suspects involved in this scandal to go around in search of illegal pipelines and oil criminals; “and who would later present a wishy-washy report that will absolve them from any blame.”