Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has urged the federal government to identify the brains behind crude oil theft in the country and bring them to justice.
Speaking with newsmen Friday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, Uzodinma said crude oil theft is a cancer which must be dealt with to steady the economy.
He warned against treating perpetrators as sacred cows, saying anyone involved in the practice must be brought to book irrespective of the status in the society.
“Suddenly, because of the activities of those who are our anti-national interest we’ve lost over a million barrels and barely managing to produce one million.
“I think we should arise in unison to condemn the activities of crude oil theft by anti-Nigerian interest groups and bring back the economy of the country. Because you have to have a country first before you have a president”
The governor who sought to deflect questions from the controversy surrounding the All Progressives Congress (APC) single-faith presidential ticket, noted that the country is actually faced with more threat from its inability to produce enough crude having seen capacity plummet in the last few years as a result of theft causing stress to the economy.
According to him, it was high time to put an end to the All Muslim presidential candidate debate and leave the decision on who is elected to the electorate.
His words: “The mood of the country today is not about who the candidates are. The mood of the country is that two years ago or three years ago, we were producing 2.1 million barrels of crude oil every day, for over 12 years that has been our main source of foreign exchange.
“We should make emphasis on things that will unite the country. And please do by the grace of God abandon those things that are capable of dismembering the country. Our national interest is important. Our national unity is important”.
Adesina: China’s role in reversing Nigeria’s infrastructural deficit will not be forgotten
The Federal Government has lauded the support of the Chinese government in ensuring that Nigeria’s Infrastructural deficit are reversed under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who spoke Friday at the State House, Abuja, while playing host to the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, CUI Jianchun and the new Deputy Chief of Mission/Ministerial Councilor, Zhang Yi declared that when the history of the Buhari Administration’s efforts to reverse Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit is written, the role of China will not be forgotten.
The spokesman who received the envoy in the company of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, thanked the Chinese government for sustained efforts to improve Nigeria’s infrastructure development in several areas including power, rail, and aviation, among others.
According to him: “President Buhari has very great respect for China. Many times he has spoken about the support from China and he deeply appreciates it. President Buhari and President Xi Jinping share respect and friendship.
‘‘Nigeria appreciates the mutual cooperation with China and we pray that diplomatic relations will continue to be strong and mutually beneficial. President Buhari has visited China twice and also participated in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting in South Africa”.
Also speaking, Shehu while responding to alleged misrepresentation of One China policy in some section of the Nigerian Media, Shehu, told the Chinese Ambassador: “the things you read in the press (Nigerian) concerning One China Policy are not a representation of the Federal Government policy on One China policy.
‘‘Nigeria’s Constitution is written in a way that allows freedom of expression in the Media.’’
He stressed that what is important in the Nigeria-China relations is that Nigerian government recognize and support the One China policy.
Earlier in his speech, the Ambassador explained his 5GOAL NIGERIA-CHINA GDP STRATEGY, pegged around political consonance, economic cooperation, military collaboration, international coordination and people communication.
Jianchun, who has spent 17 months in Nigeria, pledged that China would continue to prioritize investments in railway, road, ports, electricity, ICT, oil and gas, agriculture, mining, among others, across the country.
On the 700MW Zungeru hydroelectric power plant under construction in Niger State, the envoy said his government is deeply committed to its completion and operationalization soon.
