BY OMOS OYIBODE,
Worried by the incessant activities and cases of oil theft in the country, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Delta State, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, has challenged the Federal Government to take decisive steps in curbing the worrisome development.
Speaking in Asaba, the Delta State capital, Ekiyor, a former Chairman of Patani Local Government Area of the state and a human right activist, has advocated the need for total change in the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
He particularly asked that the current Minister in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke should be relieved of her appointment, arguing that the current trend in the nation’s oil sector has shown that she lacked the skill to contend with the challenge of oil theft in the country.
His words, “it is a known fact that today, our oil is being stolen and that the President needs to get up and do something radical about it; If it means firing Diezani, why not? She should be fired in order to get the problems solved.
“Our oil sector should be revisited and I think that the current Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani does not have the capacity to manage the Ministry anymore. She probably has the technical know-how, but she has shown that she does not have the skill to block oil theft as Minister of Petroleum Resources.
“If Mr. President needs to fire her in order to stop thievery, he needs to do that immediately after the February elections, Ekiyor fumed.
Commenting on the current security challenge in the country, Ekiyor advocated the need for the total closure of all the borders in the country.
He said, I am a strong advocate of the fact that Nigerian Government should close all its borders and close in on those insurgents who are terrorising the peace of this nation.
“All the borders bordering Chad, Niger, and Cameroun should be shut down completely because the situation at hand now requires radical approach aimed at closing in on those insurgents” Ekiyor said.
