Kyari Urges Military to Sustain Onslaught Against Crude Oil Theft

The Group CEO of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC Ltd.), Mr. Mele Kyari, has called on the Nigerian military to sustain the war against crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, saying the current onslaught against the menace has yielded improved growth in the nation’s crude oil production.

In a statement on Tuesday by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mr. Olufemi Soneye, Kyari stated this when he received in audience the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, who led senior military officers on a courtesy visit to the NNPC Towers in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said: “I personally call for enhanced and sustained security engagement. This is because we have reached a new peak in production that we haven’t seen in the last three years.

“This is clearly related to the sustained efforts by the armed forces and other security agencies to protect our critical assets, particularly the pipeline infrastructure in specified areas where we are working closely with these agencies. We are already seeing the results transforming into increased production.”

The GCEO, who commended General Musa and his team for their unwavering commitment to securing the nation’s critical hydrocarbon assets, especially in the Niger Delta region, in recent months, emphasized that these achievements are not only crucial to Nigeria but also to the global energy community.

He expressed confidence that the CDS and his team will deliver on the presidential mandate to mitigate security-related challenges affecting the nation’s crude oil production.

“Components of this effort that depend on security are being effectively managed by you. Your coordinated and focused response is paving the way for improved security engagement, particularly in the Niger Delta,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, Gen. Musa stated that the purpose of the visit was to introduce the monitoring team to NNPC Ltd., which will be in charge of liaising with the company and other stakeholders in the oil-producing regions to safeguard the nation’s vital hydrocarbon infrastructure.

While pledging commitment to improving security and troop performance, the CDS said the military will sustain the onslaught and analyze the troops’ capabilities to enhance their performance and boost productivity.

He stressed the need to ramp up production for a prosperous economy and reassured collaboration with intelligence agencies, private security, state governments, and host communities for enhanced performance.

“Working in silos won’t give us the best results. I want to assure you that we will collaborate with the necessary stakeholders to achieve our set targets as mandated by Mr. President.”