Ojulari made the disclosure on Sunday after briefing President Bola Tinubu in Lagos on the company’s recent operations and progress since his appointment on April 2.
“With some of the turnaround maintenance we carried out in August and September, we expect full recovery this month. Our target is to reach at least 1.8 million barrels per day before the end of the year,” he said.
He expressed regret over the temporary loss of production caused by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) strike, which was triggered by disputes with the Dangote Refinery.
“It was quite unfortunate that the Dangote and PENGASSAN issue led to the strike. When critical staff are unavailable, operations must slow down. We lost over 200,000 barrels per day during that period, alongside deferred gas output and about 1.2 megawatts of power generation,” he explained.
The strike, which began on September 26 following the alleged dismissal of over 800 Nigerian workers at the Dangote Refinery, was suspended on October 1 after government intervention through the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Minister of Labour.
Ojulari commended the Federal Government’s quick response, saying the resolution between the refinery and PENGASSAN was vital for restoring industrial harmony and boosting production.
“The intervention by the Federal Government was timely and effective. We’re already seeing operations return to normal, and we expect to recover the deferred output soon,” he added.
Ojulari assured that the NNPCL remains committed to stabilising production and ensuring Nigeria meets its crude output targets in the months ahead.
