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Nigeria union demands more troops to combat oil theft

Nigeria's oil employees union has actually asked President Bola Tinubu to deploy more soldiers, including military chiefs, to fight oil theft and increase output to help Africa's largest economy take on dollar shortages, an authorities said on Friday.

Large-scale oil theft from pipelines and wells has been one of Tinubu's biggest obstacles in recent years, damaging government financial resources and restricting the nation's output and exports.

Nigeria, Africa's top oil producer, depends on the commodity for more than two-thirds of its incomes and about 90% of foreign exchange income. It has actually had a hard time to raise output as theft and sabotage have required oil majors including Shell and Exxon Mobil to exit all their onshore properties. Oil output hit 1.48 million barrels each day (bpd) in February, according to data from the Company of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). While oil production is gradually recuperating, it is still below a spending plan target of 1.78 million bpd.

The most convenient and earliest method to leave this foreign exchange problem is to increase oil production, said Festus Osifo, president of the Petroleum and Gas Elder Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). We attract government of President Tinubu to transfer the military commanders to the Niger delta area (where Nigeria's. oil is produced) to guarantee that this menace of oil theft is put. to a halt, and we will have the ability to generate more profits at the. end of the day, Osifo stated in statement on Friday.

Though refined fuels from the newly functional Dangote. Refinery have started streaming into the domestic market, the. rates might have been lower if the currency exchange rate was lower,. Osifo added.

The naira closed at 1,255 to the dollar on the authorities. market on Thursday, FMDQ Exchange information showed. In the recently, troops dealing with oil theft arrested 25. presumed oil burglars and recuperated 565,200 litres of stolen. crude, 22,500 litres of unlawfully improved diesel, and 8,000. litres of gas.

Defence spokesperson Major-General Edward Buba stated on. Thursday troops found 16 prohibited oil refining websites and. damaged six dugout pits, 33 boats and 18 tank.

(source: Reuters)