Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has criticised the activities of persons involved in crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism in Nigeria.
Speaking at the 2015 Nigerian Navy retreat in Asaba, the Delta State’s capital, Governor Okowa said their actions indicated a grave danger for the nation’s economy.
He said the activities of crude oil thieves also posed serious threats to the ecology of the Niger-Delta region and the family economy of those who depended on fisheries for their livelihood and sustenance.
The former lawmaker decried that Delta State had continued to lose huge revenues to oil thieves and pipeline vandals with severe consequences on the depleted resources of the state.
In his speech, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, urged senior officers and ratings of the Navy to be alive to their responsibility at all times.
Although, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas, admitted the challenges being faced by the Navy, he expressed optimism that his men would surmount the challenges as they arise.
The Chief of Policy and Plans of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Johnson Olutoyin, also said the two day retreat would among other areas, examine the emerging maritime security challenges and the Navy’s approach to solving them, attitudinal change and discipline of personnel as well as the inter-agency cooperation among the nation’s security forces.
