Delta State Government has assured members of the Investigative Panel on Oil Theft and Loses in Nigeria of her assistance and encouragement.
Delta State Governor and Presidential Candidate of the People Democratic Party, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa gave the assurance during a courtesy visit by the Chairman and members of the Investigative Panel on the Oil Theft and Loses in Nigeria, yesterday in Asaba.
Represented by his deputy, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, Okowa said: “We are very grateful as a state Government and are very much prepared to give you the best assistance and encouragement we can.
First, we want to thank God for the panel, the special panel on crude oil.
“Without prejudice to our national effort in diversifying from crude oil and gas to other productive sectors like entrepreneurship and agriculture, to mention but a few.
“We want to say that not much has been achieved in diversification efforts and that brings us to the truth that our economy majorly is pivoted in crude oil and gas,” he said.
Having a panel such as this special Investigative Panel to help unravel the effects and the courses of all of these oil thefts is a step in the right direction for a very serious government to do.”
The national government that found it wise to put together the investigative panel will do justice to the report that may come from the panel,” he stated.
The chairman of the panel, Major General Barry Ndiomu, noted that the report of the panel would proffer a more permanent solution to address the issue of vandalism and crude oil theft.
“We are here today and we want to assure you that we are determined to make this effort count with consultation with prominent leaders, political leaders and industry players as well as wide engagement with other stakeholders.
The purpose of the panel is to investigate, identify perpetrators and proffer solutions, he added.
