The Ostrich Method
Our problems never go away because we pretend that they don’t exist, they just grow stronger. Take me for example, as a chronic procrastinator I have always been. I always pretend that I do not have work till the last minute (during which I start to panic). This has been a major reason for the suboptimal work I put out. The ostrich method has always been a preferred style because it eliminates confrontation; one of our most dreaded actions. It isn’t necessarily the best course of action though, sometimes we must face issues head-on (why else do we have a head each?). Here’s to us not shirking away from our problems (I probably would, but hopefully you won’t). And now, the real reason for the newsletter…
Is It Really Stealing If the Owner Knows?
It’s no news that Nigeria hasn’t been meeting its daily oil production quota given by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). However, something that caught the attention of all Nigerians this year was the Federal Government’s complaint about oil theft being a major contributor to its inability to produce that amount. While this was not shocking to anyone (we’ve all heard of illegal petroleum refineries). What shocked a lot of us was the large operation that was brought to light before the weekend. A former/repentant chief Niger Delta militant named Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) who was contracted by the government to help curb oil bunkering (Yup, you read correctly. The argument to be made here is “To catch a rat, you have to think like a rat”) uncovered a major oil theft pipeline which led to a platform at sea, from which it was alleged that ships barges went to load stolen crude oil.
To understand this theft better, a little background can be helpful; Petroleum in Nigeria is usually transported to terminals from where it is sold to different off-takers. Petroleum and petroleum products are transferred via pipelines, trucks, and barges to these terminals where they are stored in containers awaiting transport to their destination. These terminals are either on land or at sea. There are around 21 off-shore terminals and 5 on-land terminals that receive our crude oil. A major point of theft is through the pipelines. Incisions are placed in the main pipeline and taps, or pipes are placed there to divert the oil to trucks, containers, or nearby illegal refineries.
These diversions would ordinarily cause a decrease in the pressure of the oil passing through the main pipeline. So, authorities in charge of these operations are meant to be immediately aware when this happens. This tweet shows that they know, but don’t seem to care.
While it is tempting to state that the Government has a hand in these thefts, I don’t have any evidence to back any of such claims (Yes, this is a shade). Instead, I’ll choose the easier, less-confrontational version: The government must have known about the theft (I mean, they knew that it was going on for 9 years) but were too lazy (scared?) to attack it head-on. However, with the end of this administration in sight, they knew that the truth had to come out to stem any future embarrassment because of this.
This news was met with a lot of negative reactions. According to some people who claim experience in the petroleum industry, the claim was that the incision and theft could have been noticed by anyone in the NNPC through the drop in pressure, velocity, leak detection, and the use of pipeline gauges in a process called “pigging”.
Looking at the good side, the election effect is coming into play; crude oil theft is being exposed, and kidnap victims are being released. If we continue like this, we might all become millionaires by 2023.
What have I been up to:
I read this article that can be very helpful when you get your penis stolen
I’m still repping Chiprent, if you need an affordable place to rent in Lagos or a roommate to help make everything affordable, click here.
There’s also this stupid law in Lira, Uganda which bans women from sitting down in the front cabin of trucks because they “distract” men.
I was invited to speak to a few teens about dressing, and I realized that the real problem is with the beholder rather than the dresser.
I’ve found a new love for the new Nigerian movies. “Anikulapo” was great, even though they could have used the movie to speak about larger themes like the morality of humans possessing powers that originally belong to the gods. “Breaded Life” was the most enjoyable 2 hours of my weekend. Shout out to Gladys.
Finally, a question for you all; do you think it’s alright to burn bridges with friends and family because of your political disputes? If yes, please let me know why in the comments.
Special thanks to Michael Ogezi for always being the first to read the news from the Juice, it means a lot to me man!
That’s all for now, see you all very soon!