By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has reaffirmed its commitment to deepen its longstanding partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd in a renewed effort to protect critical oil and gas infrastructure vital to the country’s economic stability.
The Chief of Air Force Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, gave the commitment when he paid a courtesy visit to the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Engr Bashir Bayo Ojulari, on November 5, 2025, in Abuja.
During the visit, Aneke noted that safeguarding the nation’s energy installations was central not only to NNPC’s operational efficiency but also to Nigeria’s broader economic resilience.
He said the NAF remains fully committed to protecting oil pipelines, flow stations, offshore platforms, and other critical infrastructure that underpin the national energy supply chain.
Aneke said that strengthened security around those assets would significantly boost productivity in the oil and gas sector, reduce revenue leakages, and enhance national development outcomes.
He said that the efforts of the NAF, working in synergy with sister services and security agencies, had significantly reduced oil theft and contributed to increased national output, stressing the need to consolidate the gains through more coordinated and technology-driven responses from all stakeholders.
Aneke said the NAF is scaling up its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to support proactive threat detection, rapid response, and sustained deterrence against insurgent and criminal networks operating across the country.
Aneke said that expanding maritime security posture, supported by advanced surveillance platforms and integrated command structures, remains critical to safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity and energy corridors.
He noted that closer alignment between NAF operations and NNPC’s strategic priorities will create the operational advantage needed to secure vital assets, ensure uninterrupted energy supply, and support increased oil and gas production, which is essential to Nigeria’s economic recovery and growth.
A statement by the NAF’s spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said that Aneke reassured the NNPC leadership of the Air Force’s continued support.
He reiterated that the NAF will remain a steadfast partner in safeguarding national resources and defeating threats posed by insurgents, vandals, and criminal elements, thereby contributing meaningfully to increased NNPC productivity, adding that strengthened collaboration between both institutions will not only reinforce coastal and maritime security but also support Nigeria’s broader national development aspirations.
Responding, Ojulari commended the Nigerian Air Force for its unwavering dedication to national defence and described the strengthened collaboration as timely, especially in view of the President’s mandate for NNPC to increase investments and productivity for the benefit of all Nigerians.
He said the NNPC’s partnership with the NAF is essential to promoting energy security, stabilising production outputs, and fostering a safer operating environment for industry operators.
“The NNPC remains committed to expanding cooperation to further enhance NAF air operations, including intelligence sharing, joint operational planning, and the deployment of modern security technologies across vulnerable national assets,” Ojulari said
