Defence chief approves military cover for oil assets as Nigeria loses 200k barrels daily

The Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor, has promised that the military will provide maximum security for Nigeria’s oil and gas assets.

Irabor gave the commitment on Wednesday at a meeting with the Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

“I am delighted that you made this effort, and I tell you that the Armed Forces of Nigeria will collaborate with you to protect NNPC’s assets”, Irabor told Kyari and his management team.

Highlighting the significant role of the sector to the economy, the CDS said there was a need for collaboration between the NNPC and the Armed Forces.

“Our existence, economically, rests almost solely on the NNPC, and to that extent, we must do everything possible to give you everything that you require,” he added.

Kyari commended security agencies for their support and called for more protection of NNPC’s operational assets and personnel.

He disclosed that petroleum products theft on the System 2B Pipeline had reduced considerably due to their support.

The GMD, however, complained that the nation was still losing about 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily to theft and vandalism.

“We have two sets of losses; one from our products and the other from crude oil. In terms of crude losses, it is still going on. On the average, we are losing 200,000 barrels of crude every day,” Kyari said.