By; AMOS TAUNA, Kaduna
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Mele Kyari, has said that over 5,686 Illegal Refinery (IR) sites and the removal of 4,480 Illegal Connections (ICs) from 2021 to the present through the establishment of a command-and-control center that has aided the detection and destruction.
Speaking as a Guest Lecturer during the 2024 Faculty Lecture titled, “Energy Security, Sustainability and Profitability in Nigeria: Advances, Challenges and Opportunities,” organized by the Faculty of Science of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State on Wednesday, Kyari said, “The centre provides livestreaming of surveillance data to security forces, contributing to the detection and destruction of the illegal refinery (IR) sites.”
Kyari disclosed that a strategic shift, focusing on increased products trucking and storage in underground tankages at NNPC filling stations nationwide following the severity of vandalism and oil theft.
He suggested the needfor collaboration between the academia and the Oil & Gas Industry towards addressing the challenges of energy sufficiency and sustainability.
Kyari noted that the academic communities played important role in safeguarding national energy security through research and collaboration with the industry.
Kyari identified energy conservation, diversification, and efficiency measures as major avenues for enhancing energy security, lamenting that rapid population growth, pipeline vandalism, and crude oil theft hindering energy security in the country.
