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Abia State Government has pledged to play a major role in tackling the drop in crude oil production in Nigeria.
Governor Alex Otti made the promise at his country home in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South LGA of the state when he received in audience a delegation of the Defence Headquarters Joint Monitoring Team, led by Maj Gen J.A.L. Jimoh, who paid him a working visit.
He decried the drastic drop in crude oil production in Nigeria, adding that it formed part of his discussion during his recent visit to the National Security Adviser.
Governor Otti who noted that figures available to him for June, July and August put the average oil production level in Nigeria somewhere around 1.4 million barrels per day, pointed out that this was far below Nigeria’s crude oil quota of 2.2 million barrels per day.
He recalled that 20 years ago, Nigeria’s crude oil production capacity was about 2.5 million barrels per day, stating that the drop in the oil production affects exports, which in turn affects foreign exchange earnings.
The Governor identified oil theft and the insurrection in the Niger Delta as among the factors affecting Nigeria’s crude oil production.
Earlier in his speech, the leader of the monitoring team, Maj Gen Jimoh, said that the Joint Monitoring Team was recently constituted to carry out oversight on some of the most pressing challenges faced by the country’s vital crude oil sector.
Maj Gen Jimoh, said the visit to Governor Otti was to acknowledge his invaluable support to the initiative, also assured him that no effort would be spared to restore optimal operational efficiency within the oil sector.
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