The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bashir Ojulari, has disclosed that Nigeria’s pipelines and terminals’ receipt of crude oil is close to 100% due to improved security intervention.
Ojulari disclosed this at the opening day of the Africa Chief of Defence Staff Conference held in Abuja, on Monday.
“Today, I can proudly report to you all that our pipelines and terminals’ receipt of crude oil, which was somewhere as low as 20% to 30%, we are attaining close to 100% due to the support of the security forces and the intelligence agencies,” he said, attributing the development to improved security and surveillance.
He added however, that while crude oil theft has continental and international dimensions and should be tackled holistically through collaboration and synergy among various military formations across Africa, international syndicates are exploiting several oil sector gaps.
“Crude theft and its attendant illegal activities are by no means a purely localised occurrence; rather, these operations involve specialised international syndicates that take advantage of gaps within the state, national and continental security architecture to conduct illegal activities,” he said.
The NNPCL boss further declared that crude theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, have become a thing of the past due of the efforts of security agencies.
“Security forms a key pillar of the energy business and therefore plays a very important and strategic role in achieving national, regional and continental energy security goals,” he said.
“We have seen the benefit of the collaboration within the energy space, with significant improvement in our operating environment”.
“The dilapidating impact of crude theft, low pipeline availability and attacks are issues that have become stories of the past for us.
“These have come from the immense and intentional efforts of our government agencies across the nation and, in particular, within the Niger Delta,” he added.
Ojulari expressed confidence that continental forum would strengthen strategic military activities within the continent.
On his part, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, urged colleagues to invest in artificial intelligence (AI), to defeat terrorist group.
General Musa asked defence chiefs to rise above division and embrace unity to build a continent free of insurgents.
“The challenges before us are great, but so too is our resolve. Let’s rise above division and embrace unity; let us build a continent where our people can live free and fair and where our Armed Forces are symbols of stability, professionalism and pride,” he said.
He highlighted that true security is not achieved in isolation; it is built through shared intelligence, joint training and coordinated actions.