The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd ) has announced a significant increase in the country’s crude oil production, from 1.4 million barrels per day to 1.7 million barrels per day.
The improvement follows President Bola Tinubu’s directives to security agencies to tackle pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.
NNPC Ltd’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, disclosed this at a stakeholders engagement session with journalists covering the National Assembly on Saturday in Abuja.
Soneye said: “The increase in production is a welcome development, especially considering that oil production had previously plummeted to 900,000 barrels per day due to criminal activities.
“However, with the involvement of private security agencies and renewed military efforts, the trend has changed.”
Soneye noted that in the last six months, the NNPC Ltd has detected and destroyed over 8,000 illegal refineries and 5,800 illegal oil pipeline connections.
“The hotspots for these illegal activities include Bayelsa, Rivers, Imo, and Abia.
The company’s efforts are part of a broader strategy to eliminate oil theft and pipeline vandalism,” he asserted.
“President Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated its commitment to addressing the issue, with the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, pledging to eliminate all forms of vandalism and criminal activities in the South-South region.”
Stakeholders, including former militant leaders and traditional chiefs from the Niger Delta region, have praised the government’s efforts.
Addressing concerns about the ability of the company to produce 3 million barrels per day, Soneye said the company is confident that the target is achievable if all stakeholders work together to combat oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
The NNPC Ltd’s spokesman added: “3 million barrels of oil production per day is achievable in Nigeria if all the stakeholders work in synergy for that purpose, from the security agencies, both government and private owned,to oil companies and host communities.
“With expected synergy from all the relevant stakeholders on the war against oil theft and pipeline vandalism, the required enabling environment would be in place for optimal oil production to the volume of 2.5 to 3 million barrels per day.”
Increased crude oil production is expected to have a positive impact on Nigeria’s economy, and the NNPC Ltd remains optimistic about achieving its target of 3 million barrels per day with the cooperation of all stakeholders.
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