25 July 2012, Sweetcrude, MINNA—CHAIRMAN, Northern State Governors Forum and governor of Niger State, Muazu Aliyu, has thrown his weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan on his war against oil theft in the country.
Addressing newsmen in Minna, Governor Aliyu condemned those behind the act, which he said was ruining the country’s economy.
He noted that though there was hardship in the country, that should not lead people into oil bunkering.
He said: “It has more to do with our behaviour as Nigerians. If people steal, the money they steal is not coming back to the coffers of government and it means we have to be very serious about it.
“In the past four months, earnings into the Federal Account Allocation Committee have been declining from what we were told and I know that people may not want to talk about it.
“I was among those who visited Mr. President on some of these issues and we were able to resolve some of them in terms of what is happening on the ground that we are not very familiar with.
“It should not only be about security and protection of lives and property, but we must ensure that people do not steal. It is not only a Federal Government issue but all of us at the state and community levels must join in this fight.”
Governor Aliyu called on communities hosting oil pipelines to be vigilant and save the country from the hands of thieves, who make Nigeria to lose billions of naira.