By TINA TIMOTHY

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR, has paid an operational visit to Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital and base of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) to ensure maximum compliance to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to secure the nation’s oil and ensure increase in production.

While charging the joint operational commanders to be patriotic and diligent, the Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, in a statement issued on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, disclosed that the CDS gave assurance of the Defence Headquarters’ support to actualize the mandate.

The statement read: ”Following the Presidential directive by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Christopher Gwabin Musa to coordinate the activities of military and security agencies in the country to ensure increase in oil production to boost economic activities in the nation, the CDS has today, 31 July, 2024 paid an Operational Visit to Port HARCOURT, the base of OPERATION DELTA SAFE (OPDS) to ensure the directive is on course.

“The CDS while addressing the joint operational commanders charged them to be patriotic and diligent in carrying out the presidential directive. He also pledged DHQ will provide all necessary support to actualize the mandate. This will be the second time in two weeks the CDS has visited the Niger Delta to ensure maximum compliance. It could also be recalled that the CDS in a bid to actualize this mandate, meet with service chiefs, Inspector General of Police, Heads of security agencies and critical stake holders where they all agreed to work together towards achieving increase in oil production as directed by the President.”

According to the statement, the Joint Task Force Commander of the OPDS, Rear Admiral John Okeke and the land Component Commander received the CDS and briefed him on their operational plans.

“The CDS was received by the Joint Task Force Commander of the OPDS, Rear Admiral John Okeke and the land Component Commander, who also doubled as the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Major General Jamal Abdussalam. The operational commanders took a turn to brief the CDS on their operational plans.

“The Chief of Defence Staff was accompanied on the trip by Chief of Defence Intelligence, the Chiefs of Operations of Defence and Services Headquarters as well as the newly appointed DHQ Monitoring Team Leader, Major General Jami’u Jimoh,” the statement added.