The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai on Monday August 26 2019, pledged that the Nigerian Army would continue to collaborate with and support the oil companies to ensure smooth operations in the country especially in the Niger Delta region.
Speaking when the Managing Director of the Upstream Companies of Total Nigeria and Country Chair, Mr. Mike Sangster paid his a courtesy visit at Army headquarters, the COAS said, “We know that your work is key to our economy and development. We will do everything possible to ensure that lives and properties of all the oil companies in the Niger Delta are protected.
“We are working on our updated strategy to ensure that we provide the needed security.
“We will continue to support each other to provide an enabling environment for you to operate not only in Port Harcourt but any part of the country.
“The partnership which we have established, we will ensure that we make it work stronger”.
Lt. Gen Buratai commended Total for its support for the army through its corporate social responsibility projects in terms of interventions in the barracks in Port Harcourt.
He noted that the Nigerian Army had maintain a long standing relationship with the company, adding that such interventions had greatly imparted our troops’ morale in uplifting the standard of living accommodation.
Disclosing that some blocks were recently commissioned in Port Harcourt, he said the recent one is the Nigerian Army University in Biu where construction of a clinic is ongoing.
“Our prayers and requests will not end. As you continue to support our barracks and other facilities we will go further to request you to look at the youngest university to see where you can intervene in the infrastructural development through your corporate social responsibility projects.
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“The Nigerian Army University is still young and it needs quite a number of infrastructures and I hope that you will find time to send your team to see where you can intervene.
“It is a special university in that it has targeted and specific areas based on the needs of the military, the national needs in terms of defence and security to focus on those areas and carry out research.
“It is also open to general public on conventional courses that are being run.”
Earlier in his address, Managing Director, Total Nigeria PLC, Mr. Mike Sangster appreciated the support and cooperation of the Nigerian army to Total’s business operations.
He also commended the army for the efforts at combating insurgency in Nigeria just as he extended Total’s goodwill message to the soldiers who daily risk their lives for the security of Nigerians and the country’s territorial integrity.
“Our hearts are with the families of the soldiers who have paid the supreme price in the line of duty.
Sustain the cordial relationship with the army” he said.
In a brief, he said Total is the only International Oil Company still operating in the entire energy value chain in Nigeria (Upstream, LNG, and downstream), operating and producing onshore, offshore and Deepwater.
“Despite security challenges, in our Downstream 1 sector: 576 Service Stations across the whole country, we are in every part of Nigeria.
“The Nigerian army has been instrumental to peace around our operating locations especially onshore. The soldiers around our locations exhibit professionalism in their conducts.”
However, he said, “Threats still exist and support is still needed. Our locations are still not spared of the general security risks (kidnapping, robberies at service stations, etc. Locations have their peculiar security risks such as vandalism, asset theft etc. We rely on government security agencies to maintain an environment conducive to operations.”
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