Chief of Defence Staff Says Nigeria Working Towards 2.5mb/d Oil Production

He disclosed this after a four-hour high-level meeting with commanders of the Joint Task Force, international and local oil operators, and key stakeholders at the Python Officers’ Mess, 6 Division Headquarters, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The 2.5 million barrels per day target is higher than the 2.2 million barrels per day target set by the armed forces leader six months ago.

During that meeting, Mr Musa issued a three-month ultimatum to curb oil theft in the Niger Delta and increase production to 2.2 million barrels per day.

However, output has remained at 1.8 million barrels per day including condensates due to a plethora of factors, including insecurity.

The CDS said the team had made key resolutions to hit the target emphasizing ongoing efforts to tackle oil theft and improve production levels.

“After working together we have seen that we need to do more for all organizations, the security agencies, the private companies, the IOCs, and the local companies, that we need to work together and we have all committed ourselves to doing that. We are going to have so much synergy, and Nigerians will be proud of what will happen, it’s not ongoing,” he explained.

He said the reason why the level remained at 1.8 million barrels per day was due to the general environment.

Crude production levels increase of decrease not solely because of oil theft because of other factors like policies and investments.

“When I gave the three months ultimatum, we had hit almost 1.7 then. Now we have been doing, you know, as it is, because of the nature of the environment, it fluctuates, 1.8 comes down to 1.7. We want to assure Nigerians that we are targeting 2.5. We know we can do that, but again, we can’t do it alone. We need Nigerians to cooperate, especially the communities around those areas,” the military officer stated.

Representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Office of the National Security Adviser also expressed optimism, stating that the strategies outlined at the meeting could help Nigeria achieve the 2.5 million barrels per day target.

Other stakeholders believe that continued collaboration between security forces and oil operators is essential to protecting energy infrastructure and increasing output.