The Secretary to the State Government has stated that for effective security of oil and gas facilities to be sustained there must be strong community engagement and development.
The Secretary to the State Government(SSG)Dr Kingsley Emu made this known during a ministerial briefing session for participants of the Strategic Management and Policy Studies Course 8/2025 of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja who are on a National study tour of the state.
Dr. Emu emphasized the need for sustained community development and engagement, genuine corporate social responsibility by oil companies, fine-tuning of policies, strengthening of legal frameworks, and the institutionalization of community policing which are part of measures to safeguard the oil pipelines that pass through the state.
The SSG noted that harnessing grassroots intelligence can significantly curtail this economic sabotage by leveraging local knowledge,community insight and citizens engagement.
He said to adequately checkmate the activities of pipeline vandals and illegal bunkering activities which have negatively impacted on the nations revenue,the state government constituted the Peace Building and Advisory Council,Delta State Waterways and Land Security Committee which contributed greatly in curbing these nefarious activities of the hoodlums.
He noted that Delta State holds the highest gas reserves for power generation in the country, with oil accounting for about forty-eight percent of the state’s revenue, which under scored the strategic importance of protecting the oil sector.
Earlier, the Team Leader, Major General James Myam(rtd) said Delta State was selected for the study tour because of its status as a hub of oil and gas activities in Nigeria.
He stated that the delegation was in the state to understudy measures put in place to secure oil and gas facilities, with a view to harnessing best practices for national application.
The Eleven Month course draws high calibre participants from intelligence and security agencies, and upon completion, they will be awarded a Master’s degree in Strategic Management and Policy Studies
The theme for the study is “Security of Oil and Gas Facilities in the Niger Delta: A Panacea for National Development.”
