Niger Delta oil and gas host communities have called on the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Melee Kyari, to stop oil theft, name and prosecute those behind the menace or resign.

The communities lamented that increasing oil theft had again thrown the nation into a pitiable condition, reflecting high corruption index. A statement signed, yesterday, by the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Community Development Communities of Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas, Joseph Ambakederimo, said the exposition of the four-kilometre-long oil pipe theft was enough for Kyari to have resigned his position or be sacked by the NNPC Board.

He said: “We need more and compelling disclosures from these persons, who have, overnight, discovered this illegal pipeline because mobilising resources and equipment and materials to execute this project is not achieved in one day. People in the environs and officials of the IOCs and Security services that are scattered all over the rivers and creeks want to now absolve themselves”.

Ambakaderimo said in the statement that the promise of the attainment of three million barrels of crude oil per day by Mele Kyari had become a mirage, adding that what Nigeria presently produces is less than one million barrels per day, which is far less than what it produced when Kyari assumed office.

“The Direct Sale-Direct Purchase (DSDP) scheme initiated by him has become a cesspit of corruption. We do not know how many barrels of crude oil is shipped out for refining and what volume of refined products are brought back into the country, who monitors and checks if the country is getting the commensurate amount of products and how many refined products are shipped back, and what other by-products is derivable from the refining process of the crude being shipped out and at what cost to the NNPC,” he said.

“All of the above are shrouded in secrecy and anytime questions are asked for clarification on these matters, we are always met with confrontations. Production cost reduction as promised under his (Kyari) watch is yet to attain any significant impact as cost of production of one barrel of crude oil still remains high due largely to many breaches in the tendering and procurement process of the international oil-gas companies as a result of interference from the headship of the regulatory agency such as National Petroleum Investment Services (NAPIMS) to line their pockets rather than save the country from financial haemorrhage,” he said.