Frontline lawyer, Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has urged the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, to explain the rationale behind Federal Government’s plan to provide 186 meters at some flow stations in the country.
He said FG’s announcement of its intention to provide the meters was curious. Agbakoba said this in a statement yesterday titled: “The hidden facts behind the metering contracts for flow stations.” He said: “The announcement by the FG that it will provide 186 meters at our flow stations is very curious and needs explanation from the Minister of petroleum.
“A flow station is simply a tank where crude oil is stored as they flow in the oil pipelines, awaiting export. The international oil companies are responsible for the flow of crude oil because they manage the pipelines and flow stations as operators.
“If the FG wants to place meters at these flow stations to know how much crude we produce for export, it follows that nobody, apart from the international oil companies can actually say what amount of crude oil we export on a daily basis!!!! Imagine you go to a fuel station to buy 10 litres of petrol but the station has no meter.
“How do you determine how much has been sold to you? The information by the Minister of Petroleum confirms what I say that the oil companies have taken control of our crude oil resources and revenue. I thank the Minister and urge him to protect us from these oil companies who have appropriated our crude oil resources.”
Lokpobiri, while speaking with journalists on some latest developments in the oil and gas sector recently, said the FG had approved a $21 million contract for the construction of a metering system for 187 crude oil flow stations in the country to curb oil theft.