Stealing is, by all means, a crime and an impolite thing to do. It is worse when you decide to take natural resources that ought to provide for the whole nation. It is therefore remarkable that technology is now at hand to get rid of all criminals suspected of syphoning the nation’s crude oil.
The Federal Government has pledged, according to Punch newspaper, that at the end of this year, it will conduct a deoxyribonucleic acid fingerprinting of the country’s crude oil in order to recognize theft and arrest criminals.
This was made known by the Minister of State and Technology, Dr. Ogbonaya Onu at the inauguration of an ultra-modern BioResources Laboratory and Feeding Mill Complex in Odi, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He is assured that once the facilities are completed, crude oil theft would become a past occurrence.
This emphasizes that the Federal Government is alarmed at the growing rate of crude theft incidences and are working at a redeemable solution. My fear, valid and resounding in the heart of millions of Nigerians, as where one thing stand another one stands beside it simultaneously; it is known in Nigeria that only the petty thief is imprisoned but the big thief becomes a ‘feudal lord’.
What do we do to those who time and time again, has proven to be above the law? They are the ‘babaisale’ who sits at their thrones and order their minions to do the crude oil stealing. We are glad at the technological improvement, we are, however, aware that the time devoted to discovering crimes can be used in developing the nation’s revenue and economic growth.
It is more shocking that much time and details are given to the crude oil sector, a sector in which its demand and consumption have dwindled. Rather than focusing on diversifying the nation’s economy into more profitable investment.
Feature Image Credit: Oil Price.com
