Pipeline Security Surveillance Contract Drives Oil Production Growth — NNPC
By Ndu Samuel
Nigeria’s oil production has recorded a significant rebound, rising from a historic low of 960,000 barrels per day in 2022 to an average of 1.71 million barrels per day, with a peak of 1.84 million barrels per day in 2025, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has disclosed.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the company, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, made this known during a Parliamentary Roundtable on the State of Pipeline Security held at the National Assembly of Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ojulari attributed the steady growth in crude oil output largely to the effectiveness of the pipeline security surveillance contract operating in the Niger Delta, noting that the achievement was the result of a deliberate and coordinated strategy rather than chance.
According to him, the surveillance framework forms a critical part of an integrated energy security model that combines legislative and executive policy alignment with actionable intelligence, kinetic deployment capabilities, regulatory oversight, industry collaboration and community-based surveillance systems.
He explained that the strengthened surveillance of oil pipelines has significantly curtailed crude oil theft and vandalism, longstanding challenges that had undermined production for years. The improved security environment, he added, has also restored investor confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by Jimoh Ibrahim, stressed the need for sustained collaboration among relevant agencies and stakeholders to address remaining bottlenecks affecting production.
Similarly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Julius Ihonvbere, represented by the House Leader, urged participants to critically assess the progress made so far to ensure fairness, inclusiveness and long-term sustainability in the sector.
The roundtable, convened by the Joint Senate and House Committees on Petroleum Resources, drew high-level participation from key government officials, including security chiefs and heads of regulatory agencies.
Presentations were delivered by the Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the Department of State Services, the Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, as well as representatives of private security firms, all focusing on strengthening pipeline protection and sustaining production gains.
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