Oil theft: Otuaro pledges PAP’s support for defence team

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, has assured the Defence Headquarters Joint Monitoring Team that the PAP would support their mandate to curb crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.

Otuaro, who stated this when the joint monitoring team led by Major General Jamil Jimoh paid him a courtesy visit at the PAP Office noted that the joint monitoring team deserved support towards reducing the menaces of illegal oil bunkering and attacks on critical oil assets.

The PAP helmsman, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Igoniko Oduma, said the Office was willing to work with the joint monitoring team.

He stressed that it was part of the mandate assigned to him by President Bola Tinubu in the government’s determination to address the challenges in the region.

He expressed delight that the country’s oil production output had reached 1.8 million barrels per day due to the intensified fight against crude oil thieves and pipeline vandals.

“I know that the essence of the PAP is for national and human security in the country and the region. We are going to work with you at any time. It’s part of the things we can do within the mandate given to me by President Tinubu.

“Based on that, we will collaborate with you to ensure the eradication of oil bunkering and other related activities in the Niger Delta. The country’s oil production output is on the rise and has reached 1.8 million barrels per day as announced sometime last week by the NNPCL. We are confident that it will increase more than that.”

He said the PAP was vigorously implementing the reintegration phase of the programme through initiatives in formal education, vocational training, and post-training empowerment of delegates, beneficiaries and women, while also deepening stakeholders’ engagement for sustainable peace and stability in the region.

Earlier, the leader of the team, Major General Jimoh, had solicited the support of the PAP to enable them to do their work very well and explained that the visit was part of the team’s tour of the Niger Delta to interface with stakeholders.

He applauded the PAP administrator for working hard to ensure sustainable peace and stability in the Niger Delta, stressing that Otuaro’s knowledge of the region was an asset to maintaining peace and stability in the area.