The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited says tighter protection of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta has helped lift Nigeria’s crude production from a historic slump to its highest level in years.

Speaking at a parliamentary roundtable on pipeline security at the National Assembly in Abuja, the company’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, said output climbed from about 960,000 barrels per day in 2022 to an average of 1.71 million barrels per day, peaking at 1.84 million barrels per day in 2025.

According to a statement issued by NNPCL spokesman Andy Odeh, Ojulari attributed the recovery to a coordinated security framework that combines policy support, intelligence gathering, regulatory action, industry collaboration, and community-based monitoring across oil-producing areas.

He explained that the renewed clampdown on oil theft and pipeline vandalism had not only improved output but also restored confidence among investors in the country’s oil and gas sector.

The roundtable was organised by the joint committees on petroleum resources of the Senate and House of Representatives, drawing participants from security agencies, regulators, and private security operators.

In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, called for sustained cooperation among stakeholders to remove obstacles to further production growth.

Similarly, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, represented by House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, urged participants to assess progress made so far to ensure fairness and accountability in pipeline protection efforts.

The NNPCL chief’s comments followed recent remarks by the head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, who disclosed that production reached 1.84 million barrels per day in March.

Oil production, including condensate, had earlier dipped to around 1.4 million barrels per day in February due to maintenance activities, before rebounding in March.