By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) have agreed to forge a partnership to combat the menace of pipeline vandalism and other sundry challenges in the petroleum industry.
The two organizations came to this position during a visit to the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, by the management of NAN led by its Managing Director, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
Addressing the NAN delegation, the GMD said NNPC would tap into the rich array of services offered by NAN, particularly the dedicated reporting and SMS service, to help in the Corporation’s anti-pipeline vandalism activism.
“We will look at your proposal on the establishment of a Niger Delta Bureau and see how it can help us get real time information from the region to aid us in the fight against pipeline vandalism”, Dr Baru said.
He thanked the NAN executives for dedicating a staff to NNPC, as he extolled the efforts of the Organisation’s Managing Director for his commitment to modernizing NAN since his appointment last year.
The NNPC GMD told the visiting executives that his Management team’s focus rested on FACTI, meaning: Focus, Accountability, Competitiveness and Transparency with Integrity.
FACTI, the GMD noted, would enable his Management team deliver on its mandate to the nation.
On his part, Mr Onanuga, highlighted the various services on offer by the agency and implored NNPC to take advantage of them for effective communication with its publics.
He commended the GMD for his numerous achievements within the very short period of his assumption of office, adding that he was elated at NNPC’s feat of ensuring a fuel-scarcity-free end of year holiday season in 2016.
He stated that their visit was to further strengthen the existing relationship between the NAN and NNPC in the best interest of the country.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Modupe Gbadeyanka