Newly appointed Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mele Kyari has commended the Armed Forces of Nigeria for providing a more secured environment for the organisation to carry out its functions in the petroleum industry.

Kyari gave the commendation during his courtesy visit to the Chief of Defence Staff in his office at the Defence Headquarters Abuja, saying the visit was necessary considering the important role the Armed Forces of Nigeria had been playing in curtailing the activities of pipeline vandals and saboteurs of the nation’s key national economic infrastructures.

Kyari further stated that the Armed Forces of Nigeria in carrying out its constitutional mandate, has created the much needed safe environment for NNPC to conduct petroleum operations for the benefit of all Nigerians.

Responding, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin congratulated the GMD on his appointment and assured him of the readiness of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to collaborate with the NNPC in safeguarding Nigeria’s national economic infrastructures in the area of oil and gas.

Olonisakin further assured the GMD that the Armed Forces would sustain its Operation AWATSE, which was launched to tackle the menace of pipeline vandalism in South West Nigeria, amongst other criminal activities, adding that the Armed Forces would also intensify its ongoing Operation DELTA SAFE in the South-South region of the country.