Dr Dax George‑Kelly Alabo, CEO of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), lauded Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, for his uncompromising assault on maritime oil crime in the Niger Delta.
With oil theft plunging by 58.3 percent in Q1 2025 – from 400,000 barrels per day to 168,800 bpd under Operation Delta Sanity – Nigeria is roaring back towards its 3 million bpd target.
Production has risen from 1.43 million bpd in June 2024 to 1.8 million bpd, highlighting joint military and Ministry operations.
Yet the scars of decades of spills linger: some 546 million gallons leaked between 1958 and 2010, fouling 1,000 sq km of mangroves and waterways, with clean‑up projected at US\$1 billion over 30 years.
George‑Kelly pressed for expanded youth engagement, revealing that BCDA’s coastal surveillance training has empowered over 3,000 local youths since 2023, cutting bunkering recruitment by 30 percent.
“Empowering our youth is the surest route to lasting peace,” he asserted. Minister Lokpobiri vowed unwavering support: “Our oil and our people are intertwined – safeguarding one protects the other.”
Their alliance, backed by satellite monitoring and community liaison officers, signals a formidable strategy against insecurity and environmental ruin.
