By Mercy Gadia
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, attributing the growth to improved pipeline security in the Niger Delta.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this on Wednesday at the Parliamentary Roundtable on the State of Pipelines Security held at the National Assembly.
Ojulari said the gains recorded were not accidental but the result of 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 noted that the improvement in production followed the effective tackling of oil theft and pipeline vandalism, adding that the development had restored investors’ confidence in the country’s oil and gas sector.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by Jimoh Ibrahim, called for sustained collaboration among stakeholders to address challenges affecting production growth.
Similarly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, represented by the House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, urged participants to assess progress made so far to ensure fairness and equity in the sector.
The roundtable, convened by the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources, had in attendance top government officials, including the National Security Adviser, Minister of Defence, and heads of oil industry regulatory agencies.
It also featured presentations by the Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, the Commandant-General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and representatives of private security firms.