Nigeria’s crude oil production has risen by 600,000 barrels per day, from about 1.2 million bpd to 1.8 million bpd, since the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act and reforms in the oil and gas sector, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mr Bashir Bayo Ojulari, made this known yesterday at the 2026 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
He spoke at an Energy Talk titled “Nigeria’s Reform Agenda: Competing for Energy Capital.”
Ojulari credited the increase in output to the implementation of the PIA 2021, a better investment climate, improved investment decisions and stronger collaboration between NNPC and its partners.
He said the company was working to achieve Nigeria’s ambition of producing two million bpd by 2027, through better maintenance of existing infrastructure, protection of base production, higher output from producing assets and the execution of new projects.
“The figure of 1.8 million barrels per day is a stage in a journey towards our objective. We are concentrating on the basics, which are maintaining our infrastructure, protecting base operations and executing the projects that will take production higher,” he said.
Turning to domestic energy supply, the NNPC chief said the removal of petrol subsidy had been accompanied by a major compressed natural gas (CNG) programme, with more than 400 conversion centres set up across the country.
He added that over 1,000 trucks used to transport petroleum products had also been converted to run on CNG.
Ojulari disclosed that the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline was completed in August 2026.
He said the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline was expected to deliver gas to Abuja before the end of the year, to support power generation, data centres and industrial hubs.
On gas development, he said NNPC was aiming for national production of 10 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bscf/d) by 2027 and 12 Bscf/d by 2030, backed by the development of domestic and international markets.
He also said the countries involved in the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline had aligned and signed the necessary agreements.
According to him, Nigeria, Algeria and Niger had also reached alignment on the development of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline.
On investment, Ojulari cited major projects, including TotalEnergies’ Ubeta, Shell’s Bonga South-West and Eni’s Zabazaba developments, noting that commercial agreements covering about $20 billion in investments had been concluded.
He added that NNPC was building new relationships with international partners, including the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Chinese investors in Nigeria’s refineries, while working with global oilfield service companies to expand capacity in the country.
He further said a baseline assessment of NNPC’s asset base and infrastructure had given management a clearer understanding of the company’s portfolio, its strengths and the areas that needed improvement.
Ojulari said the board and management were committed to delivering on the mandate given to the company by President Bola Tinubu.
“Our track record will be judged by what is done and not by what is said,” he stated.
He reaffirmed NNPC’s commitment to transparency and execution excellence, citing two consecutive earnings calls organised by the company as part of efforts to strengthen accountability.
