By Ishaya Ibrahim
All stolen crude oil from Nigeria should have the tag of blood crude, making it criminal for purchase of the product
This is the submission of Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Henry Seriake Dickson.
Dickson, who featured as a guest on Arise TV, said this would effectively checkmate the ability of oil thieves to sell their merchandise in the international market.
He recalled how a similar tag – “Blood Diamond” on all diamonds from Liberia and Sierra Leone reduced the market of such diamonds which rebel forces of the West African countries were using to fund the war in both countries.
Dickson reasoned that putting a tag of Blood Crude on such stolen crude oil would be a major move against the menace of illegal bunkering in Nigeria.
According to him if such crude is so branded and discouraged from seamlessly entering the international market, the demand side of the illegal crude enterprise would have been checked. This would in turn, remove the incentive to supply, and effectively cripple the illegal bunkering going on in the Niger Delta.
Dickson, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and also sits on the committee on defence says the ripple effect of this singular move would result in the de-escalation of the cultism, killings, communal clashes and general insecurity in the Niger Delta region.
Restating his earlier position that illegal bunkering was a big racket superintended by big players outside the Niger Delta, said the major beneficiaries were big businesses in big cities in Nigeria and outside the shores of the country.
While condemning the role of youths of the Niger Delta areas who serve as ready foot soldiers, the Senator said the big masquerades behind the criminal business, who can afford the sophisticated equipment and machinery need for the scale of illegal bunkering going on in Nigeria are deep-pocket persons with links in military, government and the international systems.
