By Augustine Ehikioya
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, has vowed to implement the Presidential Directive against oil theft in the country.
He made the remark on Tuesday 4 February, 2025 when he met with critical stake holders in the oil and gas sector in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The meeting according to the CDS is aimed at addressing the challenges affecting optimized oil production in Nigeria.
General Musa further said that “Oil production is critical for socio- economic development to thrive in the country, while maintaining that recently, significant strides have been made towards ramping up our oil production as evident in the current output of over 1.8 million Barrel Per Day.
The achievements, he said, is a testament to the unwavering commitment of all stakeholders.
He also called for much more collective efforts to achieve the overall intent of meeting Mr President’s directives of a production output of over 2.2 million Barrel Per Day.
Consequently, the CDS, according to a statement by Brigadier General
TUKUR Gusau, Director Defence Information, implored stake holders to be honest and objective in outlining the challenges and to ensure that their strategies are inclusive, comprehensive and realistic.
“It could be recalled that the Defence Headquarters deemed it necessary to convene the forum in recognition of the intricate dynamics at play and the importance of effective stakeholders engagement for the sustainace of oil and gas operations in the country.” the statement stated.
The meeting was attended by the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Chiefs of operations from DHQ, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Headquarters Nigerian Air Force, reprensentaives of Nigerian National petroleum Company Limited, Nigeria Liquidfied and Natural Gas, Joint Task Force Operstion Delta Safe Commander, and representatives of the oil producing States.