The Federal Government is exploring the possibility of using an electronic pipeline surveillance to track oil theft in the country, President Goodluck Jonathan, said on Saturday. Jonathan gave this indication in his closing remarks at a two-day oil and gas investment forum in Onne, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
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Jonathan, who was represented by the Senate President, David Mark, described the menace of oil theft as worrisome, stressing, however, that government was ready to tackle it headlong.
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"Relevant regulatory agencies are working round the clock to combat the challenge, considering the strategic position of oil and gas in the economy.
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"My administration has embarked on a number of far-reaching measures to combat these unwholesome activities. Government is exploring the possibility of using electronic pipeline surveillance to track down oil theft."
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While stressing that the government was putting in place mechanism to ensure that vandals found it extremely difficult to access petroleum pipelines, the president gave assurance of continuous support to an investment drive in the sector.
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"To this end, I am calling on all relevant industries to ensure that all oil and gas related cargo are discharged only at the designated terminals," he said.