With the achievement of 1.8million barrels per day (mbpd) and 7.4 billion standard cubic feet per day (scfd) output in November, the federal government has expressed confidence that its target of 2mbpd production is achievable before the end of this year.
Group chief executive officer, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari, who made this known said the company and its partners revved up crude oil and gas production to the current 1.8mbpd.
This is as stakeholders lauded the joint efforts of security forces as well as Tantita Security Services in combating oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
Recent operations led by a coalition of the Nigerian Army, NSCDC, and Tantita has resulted in dismantling a significant illegal oil refining site in Delta State, where numerous illegal facilities were discovered and destroyed.
Speaking on the development, Kyari congratulated the Production War Room Team that anchored the production recovery process.
“The team has done a great job in driving this project of not just production recovery but also escalating production to expected levels that are in the short and long terms acceptable to our shareholders based on the mandates that we have from the President, the minister, and the Board,” Kyari said.
Giving details of the efforts of the Production War Room, Lawal Musa, the chief War Room coordinator and senior business adviser to the GMD, disclosed that the feat was achieved through the collaborative efforts of Joint Venture and Production Sharing Contract partners, the Office of the National Security Adviser, as well as government and private security agencies.
He said the interventions that led to the recovery of production cut across every segment of the production chain with security agencies closely monitoring the pipelines.
Local leaders, including traditional monarchs, have commended these initiatives for restoring environmental integrity and enhancing community livelihoods.
They also believe that the engagement of the company, who has used members of the communities themselves to protect th oil infrastructures has been beneficial, resulting in the noticeable improvement in reducing the incidents of crude oil theft.
Recall that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) awarded a N48 billion pipeline surveillance contract to Tantita Security Service Nigeria Limited to protect oil pipelines across nearly all states in the Niger Delta region.
Commenting on the development, spokesman, Tantita Security Services, Nigeria Limited, Dr Paul Bebenimibo said “This milestone as you know, was achieved in collaboration with the NNPC, the security forces, and of course Tantita, which has been at the forefront of oil pipeline protection in the Niger Delta.
“We are determined to take it to 2million barrels per day before the year runs out, as directed by the President of the Republic of Nigeria, working through the NNPC.
“All the needed machinery has been put in place to ensure that the target is achieved. No effort will be spared to ensure that the economy of Nigeria is galvanised.
“This will lead to a boost in government revenue, thereby making more funds available for the President and his team to run the country effectively. I can assure you that we are not going to rest on our oars until the target is achieved and even exceeded,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Kyari earlier stressed that when the Production War Room team was inaugurated on the June 25, 2024, production was at 1.430mbpd, but the team swung into action, culminating in it sustaining the production recovery to 1.7mbpd in August and hitting the current 1.808mbpd in November.
“We are confident that with this same momentum and with the active collaboration of all stakeholders, especially on the security front, we can see the possibility of getting to 2mbpd by the end of the year,” he stated.
Also speaking on the development, Pius Akinyelure, chairman of the NNPC Board of Directors, who also congratulated the team, said he was happy to be part of the production recovery process, noting, “Today, I will leave this place with my heart full of joy”.
He charged the company’s management to come up with a cash flow projection based on the new production figures to facilitate planning, stressing that he is looking forward to further production increase to 3mbpd.
On his part, the minister of state for petroleum (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, expressed satisfaction with the performance of the team and pledged the federal government’s support for the company to do more.
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