By Precious Akutamadu
Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers has affirmed his administration’s preparedness to synergies with the army to combat the war against pipeline vandalism and destruction of oil pipelines in the state.
Fubara made the remark when Maj-Gen.Emmanuel Emekah, GOC, 6 Division, Nigerian Army paid him a courtesy call in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
According to him, we have issues of pipeline vandalization, destruction of gas and crude oil pipelines.
‘’And also, the worst part of it is that some people who have decided to engineer community crisis in the most area of oil operations.’’
‘’So please, while you’re taking the responsibility as part of your assignment, wherever we need to come in, endeavour to reach out to us,
Fubara explained that once they reached out, the government would apply its own mechanism since the issue of chieftaincy had been within its power.
He also said that when it came to the issue of community relationship, it was equally within the state government power.
‘’So we can join hands together to bring peace in those areas so that operations can also flow smoothly.’’
He noted the importance of the 6 Division and its responsibilities which, he said, included protecting all national assets within its jurisdiction but said that the feat could only be achieved by ensuring a peaceful state.
Fubara lauded the visit of the GOC, saying that although ‘’it is normal, it is the right thing to do.’’
He recalled that previously the government had received the Chief of Army Staff who visited the state before his demise but regretted that the outgone GOC never visited the state government before he left.
’’Definitely, we are not going to ask him to do anything that is unprofessional but to have this working relationship, because you need to succeed and we also need you to succeed.
He, however pledged to the government’s support to the GOC to ensure he succeed in his task while appreciating officers in his entourage who, he said, had worked assiduously to keep peace in crisis communities
In his remarks, Maj-Gen Emekah, said there was a recent change of baton across formations of the Nigerian Army which brought him to 6 Division as the GOC.
Emekah said that the essence of the visit was to introduce himself, having resumed duties on Jan. 24, 2025, and taken over from his predecessor who had been reassigned to Abuja.
He said that the visit was customary in the military, and in other organizations too, where an officer assumed Command, and pay courtesy visit to their host and stakeholders within their area of responsibility.
He stated that the task of the division included protection of critical national infrastructure in the maritime and the oil domains, and also to ensure security in the South-South region.
The GOC, also Land Component Commander, Joint Task Force, South-South, Operation Delta Safe, said that the division that would give utmost attention to its responsibilities to ensure that everything would be done as expected.(NAN)
