•Warns personnel against compromise

Emmanuel Nlewedum, Port Harcourt

The Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER, Commodore Desmond Igbo, has stated that there has been a drastic reduction in crude oil theft under his watch.
Commodore Igbo, while addressing Journalists at the Base over the weekend shortly after leading officers and personnel of the NNS PATHFINDER on the Nigerian Navy’s second quarterly route march in Port Harcourt, said joint efforts by the Navy and other security agencies to fight crude oil theft in the Niger Delta has increased oil production in the country.
He commended officers and personnel of the Base for remaining fit at the end of the route march and charged them to sustain this exercise even at their personal time, to continue to keep them fit to carryout their duties effectively and efficiently.
He said, “You know we did this exercise in March, being the first quarter of this year. It is the Nigerian Navy’s quarterly route march.
“Today’s exercise is for the second quarter of the year, and the essence of this route march is to keep (us), officers and personnel of the Nigerian Navy fit so that we will be able to carry our duties very effectively and efficiently. And you know that to us, fitness is very important so, the Nigerian Navy finds it very very essential that our men and officers go on route march every quarter of the year.
“And today, I led the officers and personnel of the NNS PATHFINDER, we embarked on about twelve kilometers walk and all of us came back complete. Nobody dropped on the way. That shows you how fit we are to carry out our duties, especially the anti-bunkery duties.
“In pursuance of the mandate of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, that we must reduce the incident of oil theft in the Niger Delta, and we must prevent the enemies of Nigeria from stealing our crude oil.
“To the glory of God, we have reduced incident of crude oil theft to at least 90%, and we are ready to reduce it to 100% in Niger Delta, by God’s grace we’ll do that.
“As you are aware, oil production has increased. When we came in, it was about 1.1 but now we’re talking about close to 1.7 million barrels per day. So, that is our work and what we have done with collaboration with other security agencies to achieve this feat”.
He however urged personnel of the NNS PATHFINDER to continue to be good representatives of the Navy , and warned against compromising or involving in any act of crime and illegal businesses.
“We don’t compromise anything and we can’t allow them to do that as they’ve been told and to God be the glory again non of my men has been found wanting because we have our instant laws. If they do, we’ll deal with them decisively and we have told them, and to God be the glory again, they’re refraining from compromise in all forms, and that’s the charge the Chief of Naval Staff gave us.
“Such compromise will not be tolerated and we have pushed it to the least personnel especially in this base, non of them would be involved in any form of criminality, they are aware of it and they know they cannot do that under my watch”.