NNPC Calls on Military for Help

The new group managing director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Maikanti Baru visited the country's Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonishakin at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

He came with other top NNPC officials and called on Olonishakin and the Nigerian military to help NNPC in securing critical oil and gas infrastructure to curb the losses inflicted by pipeline vandals. According to Baru, the supply of domestic natural gas to power plants has been halved, from 1.4bn ft³/day to barely 700mn m³/d, resulting in significant power outage exposure of between 2.5 GW and 3 GW as a result of direct and indirect impact.

He also said from January to May 2016, the country recorded a loss of 1,447 pipelines to vandalism, totalling 109mn litres of petrol and 560,000 barrels of crude oil. All of these pose a great threat to the nation’s economy.

Maikanti Baru (image credit: pulse.ng)

The NNPC says under Baru's leadership it will collaborate with government security agencies for a way to tackle security threats to the nation's energy sector so as to stop the financial bleeding. Olonishakin welcomed Baru and said security agencies will provide adequate security for all oil and gas installations in the country.

Omono Okonkwo