Improved pipeline security drove oil output to 1.84mbpd – NNPCL

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has said Nigeria’s crude oil production rose from a historic low of 960,000 barrels per day in 2022 to an average of 1.71 million barrels per day, with a peak of 1.84 million barrels per day in 2025, following intensified pipeline security measures in the Niger Delta.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the company, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this at the Parliamentary Roundtable on the State of Pipeline Security held at the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to a statement by the NNPC spokesman, Andy Odeh, on Wednesday, Ojulari maintained that the rise in production involved deliberate efforts by the government to secure oil pipelines.

“The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has confirmed that national crude oil production has grown from a historic low of 960,000 barrels per day in 2022 to an average of 1.71 million barrels per day and a peak production of 1.84 million barrels per day in 2025, owing to the establishment of integrated energy security for pipelines in the Niger Delta,” the statement said.

Speaking on the success of the security arrangement, Ojulari explained that the feat recorded was not accidental, noting that it involved an “integrated energy security model that combines legislative and executive policy alignment, actionable intelligence, kinetic deployment capabilities, regulatory oversight, industry cooperation, and community-embedded surveillance mechanisms”.

He added that the resurgence in production, due to the effective tackling of oil theft and pipeline sabotage, had restored investors’ confidence in the country’s oil and gas sector.

“The resurgence of production due to the effective tackling of the twin menace of oil theft and pervasive pipeline sabotage has led to the restoration of investors’ confidence in the nation’s oil and gas sector,” the statement added.

In his welcome address, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by Jimoh Ibrahim, called for collaboration among agencies and stakeholders to resolve challenges impeding production growth.

Similarly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, represented by the Leader of the House, Julius Ihonvbere, urged the forum to evaluate progress made so far to ensure fairness and equity.

The roundtable was convened by the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources and had top government functionaries and representatives of oil industry regulatory agencies in attendance.

Presentations were also delivered by heads of various security agencies, including the military, the police, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and private security companies.

Ojulari’s statement came a few days after the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said oil production had peaked at 1.84mbpd in March.

The PUNCH recalls that oil production, crude and condensate, fell to as low as 1.4mbpd in February due to turnaround maintenance.