NNPC Mandates AI Adoption In Upstream To Secure 3mbpd Target

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) is ramping up AI pilots and digital mining of decades-old data to slash costs and propel Nigeria’s upstream sector toward a 3 million barrels per day (bpd) production goal, its group chief executive officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari said on Thursday.
Speaking at the 26th Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum, in Abuja, Ojulari, stressed that AI is no longer optional but an “imperative” for leveraging Nigeria’s “data-rich” assets dating back to 1956, including paper-based well logs.
Ojulari, who was represented by NNPC executive vice president, Upstream, Udobong Ntia, said that the national oil firm have committed a lot of resources to digitising data within the industry.

“We’ve spent a lot on digitising data; if we don’t mine it, we’ll lose our most important variable,” he said, announcing plans to scrutinise budgets next year for AI adoption across operators and service providers.
NNPC’s three-stage strategy targets the ambitious output: first, safeguarding existing assets by overhauling maintenance to erase “aged facilities” – a shift Ojulari said was enforced through frequent site visits revealing stark contrasts in upkeep.
Second, fast-tracking near-term growth with alternative financing and risk-sharing for projects like those from top producers such as Chevron, TotalEnergies, and independents.

Third, a portfolio review to unlock value, deepen indigenous participation, and draw fresh capital to marginal fields.
Ojulari lauded the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) for enabling cash flow stability and commercial orientation, alongside executive orders and regulators like NUPRC’s Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, who slashed approvals from multiple layers to one. These moves have resolved legacy disputes, advanced stalled final investment decisions (FIDs), and attracted over $24 billion in investments, including recent Bonga Southwest approvals.

With capital “the new battlefield” amid global demand for Nigerian gas – even as Europe seeks fossil fuels – Ojulari called for “predictable, flexible, data-aware” regulation to shorten project cycles and boost competitiveness. “The stars are aligned,” he added, citing midstream and upstream leadership driving a “decade of gas” revival under figures like Eyesan in NUPRC and Saidu Mohammed in NMDPRA along with the NNPC, operating as a commercial energy firm under PIA rather than regulator, positions itself as a bridge between policy and execution, committing to partnerships for efficiency, security, and intelligence in production.