According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), 10,166 illicit refineries and crude oil connections have been destroyed in Nigeria since 2021. This information was released on Wednesday, 17th January 2024.

It said explicitly that throughout the evaluation period, 4,480 unlawful crude oil connections were removed and nearly 5,686 illegal refinery installations were dismantled.

Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, made this announcement on Wednesday at the 2024 Faculty Lecture, which was hosted by the Faculty of Science at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State. The lecture was titled “Energy Security, Sustainability and Profitability in Nigeria: Advances, Challenges and Opportunities.”

In a statement released by the business in Abuja, Kyari commented on the difficulties caused by crude oil theft and pipeline damage in Nigeria, noting that the problems had a negative effect on NNPCL’s operations.

But he said that since 2021, the installation of a command-and-control center has helped with vandalism across working corridors by helping to identify and destroy illegal refinery facilities and remove illegal connections.

“From 2021 to the present, the center has helped security forces detect and destroy over 5,686 illegal refinery sites and remove 4,480 illegal connections through live streaming of surveillance data,” the company’s CEO said.

He urged cooperation between academic institutions and the oil and gas sector to solve the problems associated with energy sustainability and sufficiency.

Kyari emphasized how crucial it is for academic communities—like the esteemed OAU—to work with industrial partners and do research to protect the country’s energy security.

While highlighting the obstacles to Nigeria’s energy security, such as the country’s quickly expanding population, pipeline vandalism, and crude oil theft, Kyari also pointed out that important ways to improve energy security include energy conservation, diversification, and efficiency improvements.

Kyari emphasized the significance of developing ways to guarantee sustainable energy security for the benefit of present and future generations, addressing the anticipated high population rise.

He emphasized how the increase in urbanization and competition for scarce resources will cause Nigeria’s energy consumption to double by 2050.

Kyari made a hint at a change in strategy, emphasizing more product shipping and storage in subterranean tanks at NNPC filling stations throughout the country, acknowledging the gravity of vandalism and oil theft.

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After acquiring OVH Retail Stations and related downstream infrastructure in 2021, NNPCL became the largest downstream firm in sub-Saharan Africa, as he emphasized the company’s enlarged retail assets.

With the passing of the Petroleum Industry Act in 2021, he said, the national oil firm changed into a fully commercial limited liability energy company. He also added that the removal of fuel subsidies had enabled the company to play a more active commercial role, ensuring profitability and providing greater value to Nigeria’s expanding population.