The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is on track to hit a key milestone in oil production, aiming for at least 1.8 million barrels per day by the end of 2025.
This update came from NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, during a briefing with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja on Sunday, October 5, 2025.
Ojulari highlighted recent successes, noting that the company achieved 1.68 million barrels per day in September 2025, the highest output in five years. Gas production also reached a peak of over seven billion cubic feet daily during the same period. These gains followed the completion of essential turnaround maintenance on aging infrastructure in August and September 2025, which addressed long-standing bottlenecks.
The executive outlined ambitious long-term goals set by President Tinubu: scaling up to two million barrels per day by 2027 and three million by 2030, alongside boosting gas supplies.
“Mr President gave us a very clear mandate to grow production to at least two million barrels per day by 2027 and up to three million barrels per day by 2030, while also increasing gas output,” Ojulari told State House correspondents after the meeting. “With the turnaround maintenance we concluded in August and September, we expect output to reach at least 1.8 million barrels per day by year-end, all things being equal.”
Ojulari also addressed fallout from a recent labor dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Dangote Petroleum Refinery. The early October 2025 strike delayed gas deliveries, deferring over 200,000 barrels of daily oil production and cutting about 1,200 megawatts of power generation.
Also see: Pump Prices Remain High Despite Dangote’s ₦820 per Litre Supply
Federal intervention, involving Labour Minister Mohammed Dingyadi and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, resolved the issue swiftly, restoring most lost output.
Additionally, Ojulari linked a spike in cooking gas prices to the two-to-three-day distribution halt during the strike. He assured consumers that with normal operations resuming, “prices should return to previous levels soon,” dismissing the hike as temporary and opportunistic.
It bears mentioning that these developments signal renewed momentum in Nigeria’s energy sector, promising economic stability and reduced import reliance as 2025 draws to a close.
