06 July 2013, Abuja – The Nigeria Academy of Science said on Thursday in Abuja that it would partner with the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, to find ways of measuring crude oil in the country.
A statement by NEITI’s Director of Communications, Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, said the academy would do this through evidence-based research on introduction of metering infrastructure in the oil and gas industry.
The statement quoted the academy’s President, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, as saying this when he led a team on a visit to the NEITI Executive Secretary, Mrs Zainab Ahmed.
“The decision to collaborate with NEITI is as a result of exceptional demonstration of courage, integrity, knowledge and professionalism by the agency which has earned it international recognition.
“NEITI’s persistent concern through its audit report that there is no reliable scientific mechanism to measure the quantity of crude produced in Nigeria is a national issue that requires our intervention.
“We are proud over the recent award to Nigeria, through NEITI’s work, as the best extractive industries transparency-implementing country out of 50 at the global conference in Sydney, Australia.
“The academy is a reservoir of knowledge whose support to NEITI could be of tremendous value.
“The introduction of a metering infrastructure in the oil and gas industry is NEITI’s position in its audit reports which requires knowledge and technology based on research to implement.
“A situation where Nigeria continues to rely on figures by companies who are in business for information to determine quantity of crude produced is inappropriate and unacceptable.
“NEITI’s position has always remained that adequate metering technology should be introduced to measure accurately the quantity of crude that Nigeria produces.’’
It added that until then, the country will continue to lose huge revenue through manipulations by companies operating in the industry.
*NAN)
