Nigeria’s President Orders Defense Chief to Curb Oil Theft and Vandalism in Niger Delta
In a bold move to address the country’s economic woes, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has given the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, a mandate to curb oil theft and vandalism in the Niger Delta region within the shortest possible time. The directive comes as the country struggles to boost oil production and address the losses incurred due to pipeline vandalism and oil theft.
According to Mele Kyari, the Group Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the menace of oil theft and vandalism has become a national issue that needs to be surmounted to achieve economic stability. He stated that the President has directed the Chief of Defence Staff to take control of the crisis in the Niger Delta operational area and restore national production to the expected level.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has vowed to eliminate all acts of vandalism and criminal activities throughout the South-South region. He assured that the entire region will be cleared of any acts of vandalism or criminality within the general area, and that the President has given a mandate to secure the entire region and enable the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and others to carry out their tasks.
Musa also emphasized the need for the host communities to trust and give the security agencies the needed support. He acknowledged that trust has been a problem in the past but expressed confidence that the government is committed to doing things differently. The Defence Chief assured that the results of the harmonized operation of the security agencies will be felt in the next two to three months.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, also assured that every step needed to be taken to curb oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region would be taken. He emphasized the need for cooperation from all agencies and citizens to address the challenges and promised that results will be seen in the days ahead.
The President’s directive comes as Nigeria struggles to recover from the losses incurred due to oil theft and vandalism. The country lost $1.84 billion worth of petroleum products from refineries in nine years, according to the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Dr Ogbonnaya Orji. The President’s move is seen as a bold step towards addressing the country’s economic challenges and restoring oil production to the expected level.
