The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, has reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to partner with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited in its renewed effort to protect critical oil and gas infrastructure vital to Nigeria’s economic stability.
This was contained in a statement made available to Defence Correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday by the Spokesperson of the Service Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame.
According to the statement, the CAS gave the assurance when he visited the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Engr Bayo Ojulari, in Abuja.
The statement explained that the visit underscored the strategic importance of enhanced collaboration between both institutions in securing key national assets and promoting sustainable economic growth under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The CAS pointed out that safeguarding the nation’s energy installations is central not only to NNPC’s operational efficiency but also to Nigeria’s broader economic resilience.
He noted that the NAF remained fully committed to supporting the protection of oil pipelines, flow stations, offshore platforms, and other critical infrastructure that underpin the national energy supply chain.
According to the CAS, strengthened security around these assets will significantly boost productivity in the oil and gas sector, reduce revenue leakages, and enhance national development outcomes.
He emphasised that strengthened collaboration between both institutions will not only reinforce coastal and maritime security but also support Nigeria’s broader national development aspirations.
The statement further added that the CAS highlighted that the efforts of the NAF, working in synergy with sister services and security agencies, have significantly reduced oil theft and contributed to increased national output and stressed the need to consolidate these gains through more coordinated and technology-driven responses from all stakeholders.
According to statement, while reassuring NNPC leadership of the Air Force’s continued support, Air Marshal Aneke reiterated that the NAF would 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.
It further explained that Air Marshal Aneke reaffirmed that the NAF was 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.
According to statement, the CAS visit further underscored that NAF’s 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.
In his remarks, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Engr Bashir Bayo Ojulari, i commended the Nigerian Air Force for its unwavering dedication to national defence, describing 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 noted that the NNPC’s partnership with the NAF was essential to promoting energy security, stabilizing production outputs, and fostering a safer operating environment for industry operators and assured the CAS that NNPC remained 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.