Nigeria’s crude oil production has increased by 600,000 barrels per day to 1.8 million barrels per day following reforms in the petroleum industry, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has said.
The state-owned oil company attributed the improvement to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), improved investment conditions and stronger cooperation between industry operators.
NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, announced the development on Tuesday at the 2026 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in the United Arab Emirates.
Ojulari, who spoke at an energy session titled, ‘Nigeria’s Reform Agenda: Competing for Energy Capital’, said the company was targeting crude oil production of two million barrels per day by 2027.
According to a statement issued by NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, the production growth represents a significant milestone in the country's efforts to revive its oil industry and attract fresh investment.
The NNPC chief, however, warned that maintaining the current output level and achieving further growth would depend on sustained investment in critical infrastructure and effective execution of ongoing projects.
He said the company's immediate priority was to protect existing production, maintain facilities and accelerate projects capable of delivering additional barrels.
“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,” Ojulari said.
Nigeria's oil industry has suffered years of declining output amid crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, underinvestment and recurring operational challenges.
These difficulties have affected the country's ability to meet its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota consistently, despite the sector's importance to government revenue and foreign exchange earnings.
Ojulari said the reforms introduced through the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, had helped improve the investment climate, while better commercial decisions and closer engagement with industry partners were contributing to the recovery.
He added that the management and board of NNPC were focused on fulfilling the mandate given to the company by President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, the management had undertaken a baseline assessment of NNPC's assets and infrastructure to establish their condition, identify operational gaps and determine priority areas for investment.
“Our track record will be judged by what is done and not by what is said,” he said.
On the domestic energy market, Ojulari said the removal of petrol subsidy had been accompanied by initiatives to encourage the adoption of compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol and diesel.
He disclosed that more than 400 CNG conversion centres were now operating across the country, while over 1,000 trucks used for the transportation of petroleum products had been converted to natural gas.
The initiative, he explained, was part of efforts to lower transportation costs, expand alternative fuel options and increase the utilisation of locally available gas.
Ojulari also provided updates on major gas infrastructure projects, stating that the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben gas pipeline was completed in August 2026.
He said the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline was expected to commence gas delivery to Abuja before the end of the year.
The project is expected to strengthen gas supply for electricity generation, industrial production and emerging sectors such as data centres.
The NNPC boss said the infrastructure developments aligned with the Federal Government's broader ambition to make natural gas a major driver of economic growth, improve domestic energy supply and expand Nigeria's participation in regional and international gas markets.
He further disclosed that the company was targeting national gas production of 10 billion standard cubic feet per day by 2027, rising to 12 billion standard cubic feet per day by 2030.
Ojulari said achieving the crude oil and gas production targets would require sustained infrastructure development, operational efficiency and continued collaboration with domestic and international investors.
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