Nigeria’s Oil Output to Hit 1.8m Barrels Daily Before Year-End — NNPCL Boss Ojulari

BY GODWIN OBI

Nigeria is on track to ramp up its crude oil production to 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) before the end of 2025, according to the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bayo Ojulari.

Ojulari made the projection on Sunday in Lagos after briefing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on developments within the state-owned oil firm since his assumption of office on April 2.

“With some of the turnaround maintenance we carried out in August and September, we expect all facilities to come back on stream this month.
We are hopeful that before year-end, production should hit at least 1.8 million barrels per day,” Ojulari said confidently.

The NNPCL chief also spoke on the recent industrial face-off between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Refinery, which disrupted production activities nationwide.

The dispute, which centred on the alleged sack of over 800 Nigerian workers and their replacement with expatriates, led to a nationwide strike declared by PENGASSAN on September 26. The strike was suspended five days later following the Federal Government’s intervention through the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, and the Minister of Labour.

Ojulari lamented that the brief shutdown had a severe impact on national output.

“It was quite unfortunate that the Dangote–PENGASSAN issue resulted in a strike. Once critical staff vacate sensitive installations, production halts immediately.
In this case, we lost over 200,000 barrels per day in deferred production, alongside significant gas output. Power generation also dipped by about 1.2 megawatts,” he revealed.

He commended the Federal Government’s swift mediation efforts, which he said restored industrial harmony and stabilized production levels.

“We are pleased that the government’s intervention brought all parties to the table. Most of the lost production has been recovered, though we’re still catching up in a few areas. Overall, stability is returning,” Ojulari assured.

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