Chairman of Royal Dutch Oil giant, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Dr Osagie Okubor, has said that Nigeria lost an opportunity to produce and sell about 65,700,000 barrels of oil to theft in the last one year.

Okubor said this at the just concluded Nigerian International Energy Summit held in Abuja stressing that these crude oil losses translates to about N2.3tn loss in oil revenue if the prevailing exchange rate and average oil price are used.

He said the 180, 000 barrels per day Trans Niger Pipeline had remained shut for more than one year- March 2022 to March 2023.

The loss from March last year to March this year brings total shut in/loss to about 65, 700, 000 barrels. Brent crude price averaged about $83 per barrel from March 2022 to March 2023, meaning the country could have lost as much as N2.3tr to the menace.

The TNP, a Joint Venture operated by SPDC is a major pipeline capable of transporting about 180,000 barrels of crude per day to the Bonny export terminal.

Speaking at the NIES, Okunbor said the TNP remained shut for one year due to the massive crude oil theft on the pipeline.

The pipeline, according to Shell, is part of the gas liquids evacuation infrastructure, critical for continued domestic power generation and liquefied gas exports.

He said, “What keeps me awake today as regards my onshore business in Shell is the fact that we cannot operate a pipeline, and that’s what is responsible for the 60 percent capacity. I think today that is almost just how much gas we can supply,” he said.

“And this is because one of our key gas infrastructures — the TNP — was shut down for one year; we removed 460 illegal connections on that line. We just reopened that line. Today we are struggling to catch up with our first programme.”

Okunbor said the loss was often viewed as affecting Nigeria’s oil production quota to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Okunbor advised the incoming administration to prioritised the security of oil infrastructure.