 The GMD, NNPC Ltd. Mellah Kiari has mentioned vandalism and massive oil theft as factors responsible for the low oil production in the country for the past few years. Kiari made this revelation during an interactive session with members of the House Committee on Petroleum Upstream in Abuja yesterday. Immanuel Hekidjani completes the report. The Group Managing Director of NNPC Ltd. Mellah Kiari says massive vandalisation and theft of crude oil on onshore facilities by criminal elements are reasons Nigeria has not been able to meet its production quota in the last few years. He said these oil thieves have over 85 inversions from where crude oil is siphoned and sold to operators of illegal refineries. Kiari assured that in two months the issue will be brought under control as NNPC are in collaboration with security agencies to arrest the situation. We are happy that this intervention is working and that hopefully in the next one to two months we are very very optimistic that we will combine efforts including some other technologies which I will also not mention on this platform that will deliver on this project and that hopefully it will bring sanity back. Mr Chairman, no doubt it's a very very difficult circumstance for the industry and that is why despite the good intentions and the provisions of the PIA, no one will produce oil and recover zero and put money back into the business. Members of the committee commanded the GMD for his efforts so far but wanted confirmation that two months timeline is feasible. I am tempted to say we should tell the GMD to take a bow and go. Why? Because from what we have seen here, he's told us the effort they are making to restore production and he says within two months that will be tremendous progress. It is obvious that we are receiving some level of consistency with the offshore production facilities. What are the plans to ramp up utilization of acreages that are offshore in regards to your own plans in the future? That is one. Then two, I think you should reconsider the two month timeline you have put so as not to be shooting yourself in the foot because I know that from what you have put apart from the control room there must be monitoring mechanisms for those pipelines. He assured members of the committee that everything is being done to ensure the situation is brought to normal.