Exactly two years ago, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited began a coalition to end the menace of crude oil theft in the country.
The partnership saw the Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari leading a delegation from the oil and gas industry to the Niger Delta to seek support for the protection of oil and gas installations in the country.
Kyari who was accompanied by top officials of the NNPC visited the 21st Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III; and the Pere of Gbaramatu kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Oboro-Gbaraun II and other respected traditional rulers in the Niger Delta.
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The traditional rulers present during the courtesy visit include: HRM Egbesuwei Gbanraun X (Agadagba), Paramount Ruler & Pere Of Ijo-Gbanraun Kingdom; HRM Ovie Monday Obokohwo Whiskey, Paramount Ruler Of Idjerhe Kingdom; HRM, Barr. Peremobowei Shadrach Erebulu Aduo III, Pere & Paramount Ruler Of Kabowei Kingdom; HRM Funpere .G. Akah; Ebedawei of Gbanraun Kingdom; HRM Godwin Ogonoyibo, Alagbabinafa III; Pere & Paramount Ruler of Olodiama Kingdom; HRM Ogonikara Eseimokumo 1, Okirimini; Paramount Ruler & Oguruyeke Of Tubutoru Kingdom; HRM Beri Apoi 111 Oki, Kalasuo Of Ukomu Kingdom; notable chiefs, women, youths, among others.
Before the commencement of the coalition in 2021, crude oil theft cost Nigeria around 470,000 barrels of crude estimated at $700m daily as of that time.
A report by the Nigerian Extractive International Transparency Initiative had estimated that Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at N25trn between 2009 and 2020.
Since the coalition, Nigerians have started seeing results as crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism has reduced drastically.
This has made the Nigerian oil and gas industry to achieve its highest crude oil and condensate output in nearly 18 months, with a production of 1.72 million barrels of crude and condensate in the month of September this year.
This improvement is the result of months of collaboration with operators to co-create unique solutions to peculiar challenges, mainly evacuation issues faced by individual operators, stakeholder management, political will, and support from government institutions.
This improvement is directly attributable to the reopening of operations along corridors with a history of security challenges, the restart of production from facilities that have been shut down for extended periods due to evacuation challenges, the completion of Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of some assets, completion, and hook-up of infill wells, and critical well intervention projects.