DSS pledges to support protection of NNPC assets

Alhaji Yusuf Bichi, the Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS), on Thursday pledged to support the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to protect the corporation’s critical assets.

Dr Peter Afunanya, the Public Relations Officer of the DSS in a statement in Abuja said Bichi disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the management team of the NNPC.

He said the visit was in line with the renewed interagency relations often identified as an effective paradigm for modern security management.

Bichi said the protection of the nation’s economy was to enable the government to continue to perform its fundamental role of providing security and welfare for its citizens as enshrined in the Constitution.

The DSS boss urged the team to take advantage of the visit to consolidate the existing collaboration between the two agencies.

In his remark, the leader of the team and the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Alhaji Mele Kyari said the visit was to deepen the existing interagency relations between the two organisations.

He said the corporation had in recent times, faced some challenges of national security significance.

Kyari said the loss of revenue from product stealing, deliberate damage to product pipelines, cross border smuggling of petroleum products and long indebtedness to the corporation were the challenges confronting it.

He decried the impact of the challenges on revenue generation of the country, adding that the dwindling revenues had negative effects on the government’s ability to realise its objectives.

He, therefore, solicited for the assistance of the DSS in containing the threats and the recovery of debts owed the corporation in line with its mandate to protect the nation against economic sabotage.