The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Federal Ministry of Defence have agreed to strengthen collaboration on the protection of Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure through a combination of security measures, community engagement and non-kinetic interventions aimed at sustaining crude oil production growth.
The commitment was made during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the Ministry of Defence to the headquarters of the NUPRC in Abuja, as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to tackle crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other threats to the country’s petroleum assets.
The development comes amid renewed optimism in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector following a gradual recovery in crude oil production after years of losses linked to theft, sabotage and insecurity in oil-producing communities.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Head of Media and Corporate Communications at the NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu, the commission said both institutions agreed to deepen cooperation in safeguarding critical oil and gas infrastructure while promoting peace and stability in host communities.
The statement partly read, “The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Federal Ministry of Defence have agreed to deepen collaboration on the protection of Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure through non-kinetic interventions aimed at enhancing production stability and community engagement.”
Speaking during the meeting, the Commission Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the progress recorded in recent months was largely due to the collaborative efforts of security agencies, regulators and industry operators in tackling crude oil theft and protecting energy assets.
According to her, the country is already reaping the benefits of those coordinated interventions.