Nigeria Lost $3.3 Billion To Oil Theft, Sabotage In 2022 – NEITI
By ESTHER McWILLIS-IKHIDE
NIGERIA lost 13.5 million barrels of crude oil worth $3.3 billion to theft and sabotage in 2022, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has revealed.
NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, disclosed this at the 2025 Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) conference in Lagos, noting that the loss equalled the nation’s annual health budget or could have provided energy access to millions of households.
He added that Nigeria earned $23.05 billion from the oil and gas sector in 2022, but also identified ₦1.5 trillion in outstanding remittances owed to the federation by some companies and government agencies.
Orji said the figures expose “the devastating cost of poor accountability,” urging citizens to use NEITI’s data to hold both government and operators accountable.
He stressed that as Nigeria embraces gas as a transition fuel and renewable energy as the future, governance systems must evolve with greater transparency, data integrity, and open contracting.
“Our energy future must rest on verifiable data, measurable emissions, and accountable institutions,” Orji said.
