NUPENG Seeks EFCC Support to Tackle Illegal Oil Bunkering

By Adedapo Adesanya

Following its fight against foreign exchange speculators and hoarders, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has sought the collaboration of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the fight against illegal oil bunkering in the country.

The collaboration was sought when the National President of NUPENG, Mr Williams Akporeha, led members of his executive council to the corporate headquarters of the anti-graft agency on a courtesy visit.

Mr Akporeha mentioned the challenges involved in the movement of petroleum products across the country and appealed to the EFCC to always come to the aid of truck drivers experiencing difficulties in the course of their work.

While calling for a partnership with the commission in sanitizing the oil and gas industry, he also lauded the EFCC Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, for repositioning the anti-graft agency on the path of professionalism.

“I am not here to patronize you, but your administration has changed the way things were. Before now, when you hear of EFCC what would probably come to your mind is probably the killing of businesses and organizations, but there is a new approach to issues where people now have courage and feel that this is an institution that follows due process.

“Once your hand is clean, you can do genuine business in this country, and you will continue to prosper, and I appreciate you for that vision. I can assure you and your team of a solid collaboration of NUPENG,” he said.

Responding, the EFCC Chairman, Mr Olukoyede, noted that it was important that major players in the oil and gas sector collaborated with the Commission to confront the economic sabotage going on in the sector.

Mr Olukoyede assured NUPENG that the Commission would not arrest or detain any truck or driver who did not dabble into shady deals, noting that the process of profiling arrested suspected oil thieves and evaluation of petroleum products involved are often long drawn.

“It is important for us to come out as Nigerians to eradicate corruption since we all agree that corruption is a cankerworm militating against our progress as a nation. It is also important for us to collaborate and fight that major problem that is limiting our progress.

“As we collaborate from today, if there are members of your association that would want to continue to play hanky-panky, let them know that even their executives would not tolerate sharp practices.

“The EFCC will continue to work with every stakeholder in the oil and gas sector to ensure sanity in the sector,” he said.

Recall that Nigeria recently formed a joint task force, made up of leading law enforcement agencies such as the EFCC alongside the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), to combat foreign exchange (FX) speculation and tackle the issues affecting the country’s economic stability.

The endeavour signals the federal government’s serious intent to improve its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) policies, aiming to clear its name from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force.