Plans are underway for the military to take over the maintenance and security of oil pipelines and other properties of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
Group Managing Director, GMD of the Corporation, Dr Emmanuel Kachikwu, made the disclosure yesterday, when he visited the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, in Abuja.
A statement through the Director of Defence Information, DDI, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, said the NNPC boss had already disclosed to the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, his request to President Muhammadu Buhari over the matter.
Kachikwu was said to have requested that the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers in particular, be allowed to partner the Corporation in maintaining its pipelines and securing its properties.
The visit, he said was part of the efforts to work out modalities under the CDS’ supervision to have the military protect the NNPC’s equipment and assets.
He pointed out that NNPC was evolving a holistic attitude aimed at making sure that the best manpower was used.
He revealed that crude oil theft last year was in excess of 250,000 barrels daily, which was basically 1/5 of the entire national production.
Responding, the CDS assured that the Armed Forces would interface with the Corporation to ensure that all its problems were given optimum attention.
Gen. Olonisakin noted that already the Nigerian Navy had put up a lot of initiatives at ensuring that the issue of pipeline vandalism, piracy and oil theft are addressed.
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