During an interactive session with media executives in Ibadan as part of the 2023 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL), Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), expressed his commitment to eradicating oil theft and pipeline vandalism in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
“The Army will focus on the situation in the Niger-Delta region, just as it will not also lose focus on what is happening in other parts of the country in line with the mandate of the current government,” he said.
Lagbaja emphasized the significance of addressing oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region, highlighting the fact that a majority of Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure is located in the South-South region. He drew attention to the fact that 90 percent of the country’s revenue comes from the sector. Lagbaja expressed his concern regarding the negative impact of pipeline vandalism and oil theft on Nigeria’s revenue generation, emphasizing the need for immediate measures to tackle the situation.
“The President has said that the nation is bleeding from all these. The money is not just there to do what we used to do in the past.
“This has led to the removal of oil subsidy and the floated exchange rate, while other reforms have also been put in place.
“Riding on the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of the President, the Nigerian Army under my watch will stamp out oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger-Delta,” Lagbaja said.
