By Paul Effiong, Abuja
Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, has disclosed that it is currently producing 1.7million barrels of oil daily, even as it expressed optimism for increment in the future.
Speaking during an Interactive Stakeholder/Engagement Capacity Building Workshop with members of the National Assembly Press Corps in Abuja yesterday, its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, CCCO, Olufemi Soneye urged Nigerians to exercise patience for better days ahead.
He disclosed that basic political apparatus to ensure adequate supply of fuel across the country has been provided by President Bola Tinubu whom he said has directed all relevant security agencies to stem out the ugly tide of oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
According to him, we have increased daily oil production from 1.4 million to 1.7milliion barrels per day now.
It was equally gathered that:“three million barrels oil production per day is achievable in Nigeria if all stakeholders work in snergy, from security agencies both government and private owned, to oil companies and host communities.”
Earlier, the group had lamented that there was a point that oil production went down to 900,000 barrels per day before the involvement of private security agencies and renewed efforts of the military.
During a presentation on the menace of crude oil theft and its impact on Nigeria’s economy, Deputy Manager, NNPC Command and Control Centre, Murtala Muhammad, said oil theft remains a serious concern to his organisation.
According to him, over 8,000 illegal refineries and 5, 800 illegal oil pipeline connections were detected and destroyed within the last six months.
Muhammad said crude oil theft is a huge national challenge that needs effective collaboration of all security agencies to tackle wholistically.
He informed that substantial quantity of crude oil is stolen and sold in illegal markets in India, Asian countries and other nations in Africa due to illegal connection of the nation’s pipelines by oil vandals.
He also hinted that over 5,000 pipeline vandalism had been recorded by NNPCL from August 2004 till date.
