Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has pledged support to the Presidential
Committee on Harmonised Standard Operating Procedures on Arrest,
Detention and Prosecution of Vessels and Persons in Nigeria’s Maritime
Environment (HSOP) to tackle the menace of oil theft and other criminal
activities in the nation’s waters.
The Group Managing
Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, who disclosed this when he
received a delegation from the HSOP Committee led by its Alternate
Chairman, Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Shafi’i, in Abuja on Thursday, stated
that the NNPC would provide all the necessary support to enable the
committee carry out its mandate successfully in the best interest of the
nation.
Dr.
Baru who was represented by the corporation’s Chief Operation Officer,
Corporate Services, Mr. Isa Inuwa, stated that the NNPC was interested
in the Committee’s work for legal, reputational and environmental
reasons.
“NNPC as the
leader in the industry has many responsibilities in the committee’s work
in the areas of providing leadership across the industry for the
adoption, internalization and implementation of this standard operating
procedures, to provide advocacy for changes to be made around legal
provisions and policy frameworks of government as they affects criminal
activities in the oil and gas industry and to provide resources for
successful implementation of the committee’s mandate,” Dr. Baru Said.
He said the task
of the committee was very important to the corporation primarily because
of the place of oil and gas in the Nigerian economy and more
importantly for the fact that the NNPC has the mandate to manage
government’s stake in the country’s oil and gas industry.
He explained that
the corporation understood the importance and difficulty in implementing
the committee’s mandate and assured them of support to surmount the
challenge.
Speaking at the
event, the leader of the visiting delegation, AVM Ibrahim Shafi’i stated
that the purpose of the visit was to seek NNPC’s continuous support in
the areas of capacity development.
He applauded the
management of the NNPC for providing unwavering support and commitment
to the success of the committee, adding that so far NNPC has given them
the best contribution and representation.
AVM Shafi’i stated
that the committee which cut across various ministries and agencies was
inaugurated by the President Muhammadu Buhari in January this year to
essentially seek the cooperation, collaboration and coordination of
activities on issues relating to arrest, detention and prosecution of
vessels and persons connected with the maritime environment.
He explained that
the committee’s terms of reference was in line with the mandate of the
African Union and ECOWAS Charter on integrated maritime safety and
security in the African continent.
He described the
NNPC’s role in the Committee as very critical, adding: “We will be
counting on NNPC’s technical know-how to train and enhance our technical
capability through specialized trainings, seminars and conferences”.
Members of the
Committee are drawn from the NNPC, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force,
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigerian Customs
Service, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Environment, Petroleum
Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Economic and Financial Crime
Commission (EFCC), and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps
(NSCDC).
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