Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production fell by nearly 50% from the beginning of 2016 to about 1.1 million bpd due to attacks on oil pipelines by militants in the Niger Delta region, a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) official revealed.

According to this official, the series of attack on most oil pipelines and production facilities in the western division of the Niger Delta have weakened operations there.“We estimate total production losses to be around one million bpd, so we are currently down to 1.1 million bpd,” he said.

Production from the region was averaging close to 2.2 million bpd in January, but the Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Kachikwu, in mid-May, revealed that production had fallen to 1.4 million bpd.Further attacks had since then been occurring on oil infrastructures by the militants, making output decline further.At present, four Nigerian crude export grades, that is Qua Iboe, Bonny Light, Brass River and Forcados, are under force majeure as a result of the attacks, except for Qua Iboe.

These attacks on oil and gas facilities have increased due to a new militant group known as the Niger Delta Avengers.The Federal Government and the governor of the Niger Delta region has agreed to jointly increase the security team, which would be made up of the ex-militants, to curtail the rising militancy.

“The Niger Delta governors must be involved in providing lasting solutions to the resurgence of pipeline vandalism and there is urgent need to create business opportunities for the locals in the region,” Kachikwu told Leadership news.

Anita Fatunji