NIGERIA. Nigeria to use drones in fighting oil theft

Nigeria is to deploy drones to monitor
the movement of ships in an effort to
curb the rampant oil theft in the
country, the state oil firm says.
Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) says it wants to
end crude theft in the next eight
months.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest crude
producer but its revenue is severely
reduced by theft and attacks on oil
pipelines.
New President Muhammadu Buhari
has vowed to clean up the industry.
Oil generates around 70% of
government revenues in Africa's
biggest economy.
But a 2013 report by think tank
Chatham House
said that 100,000 barrels per day were
being stolen.
That was equivalent to 5% of Nigeria's
daily production.
It said the theft was occurring on an
"industrial scale", with small barges
transferring stolen oil to tankers
waiting offshore to take it to
international markets.
Senior politicians and military officers
are said to be involved in the illegal
trade.
The new head of NNPC Ibe Kachikwu
also said the company would work
more closely with Nigeria's navy to
tackle the problem.