Education
Govt tasks petroleum engineers to drive 3m barrels oil production target – EnviroNews
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The Federal Government has tasked petroleum engineers and other industry professionals with supporting its drive to increase Nigeria’s crude oil production to three million barrels per day (bpd) by 2030.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, gave the charge on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at the inauguration of the sixth National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Petroleum Engineers (NIPetE) and its Executive Committee in Abuja.
The event, themed “Assets, Talent and Integrity: Engineering Nigeria’s 3 Million BPD Target”, also featured a public lecture and fellowship conferment ceremony.
Lokpobiri, who was represented by his Technical Assistant, Business, Kroky Biowe, said the administration of President Bola Tinubu remained committed to achieving energy sufficiency.
He said the administration had taken deliberate steps to expand oil production and develop the infrastructure required to handle increased volumes.
“I need you to support the Federal Government by sharing your knowledge and wealth of experience to enable us collectively achieve Mr President’s production target of three million bopd by the year 2030. It is possible,” he said.
The minister described the theme of the event as laudable, stressing the need for good subsurface and surface assets, talent and integrity to achieve the country’s production aspiration.
He said the government was developing more fields and building new infrastructure to handle incremental crude oil volumes.
Lokpobiri said the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had recently concluded a bid round in which 31 companies won 37 oil blocks.
He described the development as part of deliberate efforts by the government to stimulate investment and expand Nigeria’s production base.
According to him, the project has the potential to attract between $15 billion and $21 billion in investment.
He added that the project was projected to achieve peak production of about 175,000 barrels of oil per day.
“These and many other projects and initiatives are deliberate steps being taken by this Government to enable us achieve three million barrels of oil per day in 2030,” he said.
The minister urged the newly inaugurated Fellows, National Chairman and Executive Committee members of NIPetE to collaborate with stakeholders across the oil and gas value chain.
He said such collaboration would provide the technical support required to achieve the Federal Government’s production target.
Lokpobiri also described the emergence of Dr. Yetunde Aladeitan as NIPetE National Chairman as another significant milestone.
He commended Nigerian women in the oil and gas sector for their contributions to the industry and efforts toward achieving the country’s three million bpd production target by 2030.
Aladeitan said her administration would reposition NIPetE as a major catalyst for transforming Nigeria’s energy sector.
She said the first six months of her leadership would focus on rebuilding the institution, strengthening relationships with industry stakeholders and laying the foundation for a new era of professionalism and impact.
For the next 18 months, Aladeitan said her administration would focus on strengthening stakeholder engagement, advancing policy advocacy, and deepening technical excellence and human capital development.
She said NIPetE would intensify engagement with government agencies, regulators and operating companies while establishing a formal framework for quarterly roundtable discussions and joint industry projects.
On policy advocacy, Aladeitan said the institution would establish a policy advisory council to develop white papers on the Petroleum Industry Act, fiscal reforms and value-chain optimisation.
She added that NIPetE would establish a formal mentorship and internship programme linking young engineers with industry leaders and pursue partnerships to strengthen human capital development.
Aladeitan said the institution would scale up its Reservoir Simulation Training and introduce courses in well engineering, production optimisation and digital transformation.
She also announced plans for a Diaspora Engineering Initiative to reconnect Nigerian engineers abroad with the domestic industry for knowledge transfer and collaboration, while calling for unity among members.
The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), represented by its Deputy President, Valerie Agberagba, congratulated Aladeitan and urged members to work collectively to advance professionalism and ethical practice.
Agberagba stressed the importance of institutional continuity, orderly governance and respect for established procedures, warning that individual interests should not undermine the integrity of professional institutions.
She said Nigeria had the reserves, technical talent and operational experience required to pursue its oil production ambition, adding that achieving three million bpd would ultimately test governance, professional discipline and the effective deployment, development and retention of engineering talent.
The Caretaker Committee Chairman of NIPetE, Joe Nwakwu, said the committee had successfully completed its mandate of laying the foundation for the emergence of a properly constituted National Executive Committee.
Nwakwu congratulated the new leadership and urged the executive to place the institution above personal considerations, engage members actively and strengthen NIPetE’s relevance to industry, government, academia and the wider society.
By Angela Atabo
