–Eyes 2m daily production
–Tantita backs FG’s target

By Obas Esiedesa & Favour Ulebor, Abuja

NNPC Limited yesterday insisted that Nigeria’s oil production has risen to 1.8 million barrels per day with a target of reaching two million barrels daily production by the end of the year.

Speaking during the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ltd, Production War Room Meeting in Abuja, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, expressed immense pride in the progress made, crediting the management team of the NNPC and its dedicated staff for their hard work.

The minister highlighted the crucial economic impact of the increased production, emphasizing that this success will boost national revenue and drive broader economic growth.

The Minister acknowledged that the country’s leadership in oil production is critical for Africa’s energy sector, pointing out that Nigeria’s success is viewed as a beacon for the continent.

“What Nigeria cannot do, Africa cannot do,” the Minister noted, emphasizing that Nigeria’s ability to meet production goals will inspire other African nations to follow suit.

The Minister made it clear that the target of 2.5 million barrels per day was within reach, and that the government’s full support would be provided to ensure this milestone is achieved.

As part of the ongoing effort to improve performance, the Minister underscored the importance of teamwork within NNPC, stating that the collective success of the sector would directly benefit the nation.

He said: “Today we are grateful that we have crossed a line of 1.8 million barrels per day, and also crossed 7.4 BCF of gas, this is our agenda. Today, the entire team is fully aligned and committed to delivering greater value, and we’re committed to delivering two million barrels by the end of the year.

“This is possible. This is achievable. I’m a very proud minister. We can do it again. On behalf of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, on behalf of the federal government of Nigeria, let me formally congratulate the Chairman, board members, and the management of NNPC for navigating this process.” he said.

Speaking on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mele 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 explained.

Also speaking, Chief Production War Room Officer NNPC, Lawal Musa, praised the collective effort of the leadership, partners, security agencies, and communities involved, highlighting the active collaboration that made this achievement possible.

Musa emphasized that the industry’s success is driven by clear, value-focused targets and strategic coordination, noting that when the push for increased production began in June, the sector experienced a remarkable turnaround, with oil production rising from 1.43 million barrels per day to over 1.8 million.

According to him, gas production has surged, reaching 7.4 billion cubic feet (BCF), a monumental achievement given the natural decline in mature assets.

In his remarks, the NNPC Board Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure said this is just the beginning of a greater feat to be achieved by the NNPC Ltd.

He urged the management and staff members of the NNPC not to relent as more needed to be done to surpass the expectations of the shareholders of the company.

Speaking with Vanguard, Chief Upstream Investment Officer NNPC, Bala Wunti said the 1.8m barrel was possible due to the leadership commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He said: “One of the key obstacles is restoration of security architecture. We are able to block and bring into operation some of our shutdown pipelines that enabled us to open up our wells, and we are able to take that production into the market.

“It restored the confidence of the investors, and operators were allowed to operate freely. So all the enabling requirements were provided. So if there’s anything that I think I want to underscore, is the fact that there was critical thinking throughout our challenges. We were collaborative in doing what we did, and we were communicating in a very transparent manner towards what we want to achieve, which is to get to the 2 million barrel target that the GCO has given us by the end of December,” he said.

Tantita backs FG’s target

In a note to Vanguard, Spokesman, Tantita Security Services, Nigeria Limited, Dr Paul Bebenimibo explained that the company has worked hard in the past few months with the NNPC to curb oil theft and vandalism.

“Well, yes, it is a mark that we have been working towards this for a while now. From the beginning of this year, we have been saying that, by God’s grace, we will get to the two million barrels per day production.

“And we have actually put more measures in place. We’ve acquired more technologies to monitor the facilities, so that there won’t be any disruption and production will continue to increase. So the 1.8 million barrels per day that it has got to, certainly, by the end of the year, we’ll work to get to the two million barrels per day. We are working.

“The NSA actually confirmed it yesterday too, that the Niger Delta is very peaceful, things are working out fine there, and it’s a result of what we are putting in place that they have brought out this result. So we are fine, we are fine with it. We’ll continue to work towards this and get to the two million barrels per day, and even surpass it.

“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 two million 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”.