Adeyanju urges Tinubu to protect oil facilities from theft

Abdullateef Fowewe

A lawyer and human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, has urged President Tinubu to direct the Nigerian Army to complement the Navy in protecting oil facilities from theft.

This was contained in the open commendation letter he sent to the President regarding the recent rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.

He wrote, “It is now obvious that the Nigerian Navy is overstretched and can no longer protect our oil facilities alone. In this light, I call on the President to direct the army to maintain an increased presence across our oil facilities and protect them from oil theft.

“While commending Mr. President for the positive steps taken on the refineries, I urge him to take urgent action to ensure that the lives of average Nigerians are improved, in line with his campaign promises.”

Earlier, he recalled that news was rife recently about the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries and the subsequent production of petroleum products from the Port Harcourt refinery.

“Following my personal confirmation of the veracity of the stories, I am compelled to publicly commend President Bola Tinubu for rehabilitating the refineries,” he added.

He remarked that at a time when Nigerians are groaning over the huge cost of petroleum products, especially PMS, it is a considerable relief to observe that the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have come back to life, with the possibility of driving competition that will ultimately bring down the prices of petroleum products across the country, noting that the President must go further by blocking all illegal exploitation of the nation’s oil resources by non-state actors.