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HOW TINUBU LED OIL GIANTS TO CELEBRATE HISTORIC UNVEILING OF FIRST INDIGENOUS ONSHORE CRUDE OIL TERMINAL IN NIGERIA
“… Otakikpo Terminal Will Open Efficient Evacuation Outlet For Stranded Fields In The Region”
… Incidentally, Minister Of State For Petroleum(Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri Who Witnessed Presentation Of The Model at OTC in Houston in 2024 Unveiled Facility On Behalf Of Mr President
It is the story of what started as a dream and vision that have today become a reference point in Nigeria and beyond.
Green Energy International Limited, the operator of Otakikpo Field PML 11 in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State had since embarked on various steps and interventions in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.
The company led by Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe had a vision to break a record by constructing the first ever indigenous onshore crude oil terminal in Nigeria.
Construction of the terminal started in the second quarter of 2023 and all hands were the deck to ensure the completion of the gigantic project.
In this process, the management of Green Energy International Limited led by the Chairman, Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe featured at the 2024 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas in the United States.
It was an opportunity to showcase what was then a model of what looked like a tall ambition.
The event featured a global gathering of energy professionals to share new technology and innovation in the offshore energy sector, covering topics like oil and gas, carbon capture, wind, and hydrogen.
The conference included technical presentations, an exhibition hall with over 1,300 exhibiting companies, and opportunities for networking and discussing solutions for the future of energy.
The Nigeria’s minister of state Petroleum in charge of oil was also at the GEIL Stand where he was briefed by the Chief Operating Officer, Engr. Dr. Kayode Adegbulugbe on the efforts being put in place to realise the dream as well as the components of the Onshore Terminal.
It is on record that all the five Onshore Terminals that had existed in Nigeria were built by multinationals as constructed between 1961 and 1971.
And a year after the model was showcases at the Offshore Technology Conference with Minister of State for Petroleum in charge of oil was in attendance, the first indigenous onshore crude oil terminal had become a reality in Nigeria.
The first phase of the project is valued at 400 million dollars while the total projected development cost is projected to exceed 1.3billion dollars.
The scale, speed and ambition behind the project emphasises the determination of Indigenous operators to deliver world-class assets that can shape the future of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
In October 2025, President Bola Tinubu had to preside over the official commissioning of the first Onshore Crude Oli Terminal to be built by any marginal field in the county.
Represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum in charge of oil, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri , President Tinubu said the Otakikpo Terminal Will not only serve Green Energy International Limited’s production but also open an efficient evacuation outlets for marginal and stranded fields in the region.
Incidentally, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri who witnessed the public presentation of the model of the project in Houston was on hand to unveil the plaque on behalf of Mr. President.
While commending the determination and commitment of Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe and his team, President Tinubu said the terminal represents a new chapter in the country’s oil and gas industry as the first indigenous Onshore Crude Oli Export Facility in more than fifty years.
For the Chairman of Green Energy International Limited, Prof Anthony Adegbulugbe, he attributed the successes recorded to the enabling policies and reforms under the petroleum Industry act in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.
Prof. Adegbulugbe said the terminal has storage capacity of 750,000 barrels expandable to 3million barrels with a pumping capacity of 360,000 barrels per day.
The Chairman emphasised that the facility has successfully carried out four export operations totalling over one million barrels of crude oil.
The CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe,
said the terminal is historic on two levels.
According to him, it expands Nigeria’s crude export infrastructure at a critical time and demonstrates the capacity of Nigerian operators to deliver world-class projects once thought possible only for international major players.
He further noted that the Otakikpo terminal is significant to the present national crude oil production, that is, about 1.8million barrels, because the efficiency of evacuation and export is critical.
Komolafe also said that by creating an alternative export hub in Rivers State, the Otakikpo terminal reduces over-reliance on existing terminals, many of which are operating at near capacity and are exposed to security and pipeline challenges.
The unveiling ceremony eventually snowballed into a tour of the facilities as anchored by the Chief Operating Officer, Engr. Dr. Kayode Adegbulugbe.
The Terminal components include
Onshore Storage,
Processing Facility,
Single Point Mooring,
Pumping and Export,
Gathering System,
Terminal Control and Power as well as
Administrative Facilities comprising Terminal buildings, control room and accommodation.
The Otakikpo Terminal is a catalyst for national renewal. It opens the door for more than forty stranded Fields in the region with over 3 billion barrels of reserves long held back by lack of export infrastructure.
What started like a tall ambition showcased at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston Texas in the United States has become a reference point in achieving the targets of the Nigerian government as well as key players in the oil and gas industry in the country.
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