NNPC LTD GCEO Mele Kyari Advocates Effective Collaboration Between Oil And Gas Industry And Academia To Address Energy Gaps.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), Mele Kyari, has emphasized the need for collaboration between academia and the Oil & Gas Industry to address energy sufficiency and sustainability challenges. Speaking at Obafemi Awolowo University as a guest lecturer, Kyari highlighted the role of academic institutions like OAU in national energy security through research and industry partnerships.

He pointed out the challenges to Nigeria’s energy security, including rapid population growth, pipeline vandalism, and crude oil theft, and suggested conservation, diversification, and efficiency as key solutions. Kyari also mentioned the expected doubling of Nigeria’s energy demand by 2050 due to intensified resource competition and urbanization.

Kyari noted that pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft have significantly affected NNPC Ltd.’s operations. However, the establishment of a command-and-control center has improved the detection and destruction of illegal refinery sites and unauthorized connections since 2021.

He acknowledged the severity of vandalism and oil theft, leading to a strategic shift towards increased product trucking and underground storage at NNPC filling stations. Following the acquisition of OVH retail stations in 2021, NNPC Ltd. has become the largest single downstream company in sub-Saharan Africa.