FG Okays 37 New Oil Routes To Halt Theft

The federal government has approved 37 new crude oil evacuation routes in a bid to curb theft, enhance transparency, and boost output in the upstream oil sector.
Chief executive officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, made this known during the 2025 Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja.
He said the move, part of broader reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is already helping reduce losses and improve coordination with security agencies.
“Protecting oil infrastructure remains a top priority,” Komolafe said. “These new routes are enhancing oversight and restoring investor confidence.”
He added that the government’s drive for domestic crude supply is strengthening refinery feedstock availability and improving economic resilience.
Komolafe highlighted ongoing digitisation efforts and the deployment of the HostComply platform, which he said has boosted transparency and delivered real benefits to oil-producing communities.
“Our full-scale digital reforms are bringing speed and clarity to the regulatory environment,” he said.
Under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Komolafe noted, Nigeria has attracted over $16 billion in energy investments over the past two years. He attributed this to policy clarity provided by the 2024 Executive Orders on fiscal incentives, local content, and project delivery timelines.
He warned that global oil and gas demand, which still supplies more than half of global energy needs, will persist through 2050—requiring annual upstream investments of $640 billion.
“Africa cannot afford to ignore this. Nigeria must rise to meet global supply needs,” he said.
On output, Komolafe said the One Million Barrels Initiative—launched in 2024—is on track to increase daily production from 1.46 million barrels to 2.5 million by 2026. Output had already risen to 1.7 million bpd as of mid-2025, he confirmed.
The NUPRC, he added, is also integrating climate targets into its operations to align the oil sector with Nigeria’s net-zero emissions goal by 2060.