Nigeria has nearly eliminated crude oil theft from its pipelines following recent coordinated efforts by the country’s defense and intelligence agencies, the Group Chief Executive Officer of state-owned NNPC Ltd, Bayo Ojulari, has revealed.
According to Ojulari, security has been significantly improved, particularly in the Niger Delta region, where most of the country’s oil infrastructure is located.
“Today, I can proudly report that our pipeline and terminal receipts are attaining close to 100%,” Ojulari stated at a regional security forum in Abuja on Monday.
He emphasized that the country’s defense and intelligence agencies played a key role in the achievement, noting that crude oil theft is not merely a local issue but involves “sophisticated international syndicates” exploiting weaknesses in national and regional security frameworks.
Three years ago, as little as 30% of oil sent through some pipelines reached Nigeria’s export terminals, costing the government billions in lost revenue and leading to deferred investment.
With security now improved, Nigeria’s overall oil output is rising.
As the country seeks to fast-track approvals for new projects, the national oil regulator projected at an oil conference last week that production could exceed 2.5 million barrels per day by next year.
Nigeria last approached that level of production in 2005, before militancy in the Niger Delta reduced output to around 1 million barrels per day by 2016.
In 2021, Nigeria began contracting private security firms to support national security agencies in safeguarding pipeline infrastructure.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
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