Pipeline security boosts oil output as Nigeria hits 1.84mbpd peak

Mkpoikana Udoma

Port Harcourt — Nigeria’s crude oil production has surged significantly following strengthened pipeline security, with output rising from a historic low of 960,000 barrels per day in 2022 to an average of 1.71 million bpd and a peak of 1.84 million bpd in 2025, according to NNPC Limited.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this at a high-level parliamentary roundtable on pipeline security held at the National Assembly in Abuja.

Ojulari attributed the rebound to a coordinated, multi-layered security framework targeting crude theft and pipeline vandalism.

“This was not accidental,” he said. “It involved 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.”

The NNPC boss noted that the improved security architecture has reversed years of production losses and restored investor confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

“The resurgence of production has led to the restoration of investors’ confidence in the nation’s oil and gas sector,” he added.

The recovery marks a critical turnaround for Nigeria’s upstream sector, where persistent oil theft and sabotage had previously constrained output, revenue, and foreign investment inflows.

At the forum, lawmakers and security stakeholders emphasized the need to sustain collaboration to consolidate the gains.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, called for deeper synergy among institutions.

“Collaboration among agencies and stakeholders is key to resolving all challenges impeding production growth,” he said.

Similarly, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, represented by House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, urged a review of progress to ensure inclusiveness.

He charged stakeholders to “evaluate the progress made so far with a view to ensuring fairness and equity.”

The roundtable, convened by the Joint Senate and House Committees on Petroleum Resources, brought together top security chiefs, regulators, and private sector operator, underscoring the strategic importance of pipeline security to Nigeria’s ambition of scaling production and stabilizing oil revenues.