GOVERNMENT officials in the US have provided President Muhammadu Buhari with the names of former Nigerian ministers who have enriched themselves at the expense of the country by selling crude oil illegally. 

Nigeria is the world's largest source of illegal crude oil which is stolen from wells in the Niger Delta in a crime known as bunkering. This oil is then transported via barges out of Nigeria and on to the international market where it is sold for a fraction of the international price. 

During his visit to the US, President Buhari revealed at as much as 250,000 barrels of oil a day were being smuggles out of the Niger Delta and sold illegally. This represents 10% of Nigeria's 2.5m barrels of daily production and has fuelled a thriving bunkering business well managed by government officials and security operatives. 

One presidency source said: “I can tell you that the president already has the list of names of the people engaging in the stealing of Nigeria’s oil. The list, when released by the president, will shock Nigerians but let’s wait and see first.” 

He added that President Buhari was taken aback when he saw the names on the list and it might compel him to probe the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. According to the source, the US gave Buhari two separate lists – one containing the names of top government officials who have been organising the racket and the other containing the names of illegal oil bunkerers. 

According to the source, President Buhari has vowed that those whose names appear on the lists would not go scot-free. He added that the president was already tinkering with the idea of constituting a panel to investigate those on the list with a view to arriving at how to deal with them based on the findings of the committee.

Apparently, the names on the list of oil thieves are a mixture of highly placed government officials and retired and serving military officers. Since assuming office, President Buhari has promised to crack down on corruption and stop the brazen kleptomania in public life that has plagued Nigeria for decades.