By Precious Uti
Chevron Nigeria Limited has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Nigeria, pledging continued investment in the country’s energy sector, local content, human capital development and community partnerships as Nigeria marks its 66th Independence Anniversary.
CNL, in an Independence Day message signed by the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Chevron Nigeria and Mid-Africa Region, Olusoga Oduselu, said it remained confident in Nigeria and committed to working with the country to advance energy security, economic growth and sustainable development.
For more than six decades, Chevron said it had contributed to Nigeria’s development through oil and gas production, deepwater investments, gas development, local content, human capacity development and strategic community partnerships.
The Chairman and Managing Director of Chevron Companies in Nigeria, Jim Swartz, said the company continued to take a long-term view of Nigeria, with focus on operational excellence, efficiency, innovation and investment across its portfolio.
Swartz said Chevron remained committed to building enduring relationships capable of supporting human progress in Nigeria and beyond.
To sustain its operations, the company said it was expanding and optimising its assets through exploration, infill drilling and production enhancement.
Chevron said it supported the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 and the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s regulatory framework and investment climate.
The company said that since the enactment of the PIA, it had renewed and converted key joint-venture and deepwater leases, recorded discoveries at Meji NW-1, Delta South AA and Awodi-07, entered PPLs 2000 and 2001 through farm-in agreements, acquired deepwater block PPL 2010 and renewed Oil Prospecting Licence 215.
Chevron also said it was participating in strategic deepwater opportunities, including the Bonga Southwest/Aparo and Owowo/Usan developments.
It added that seismic acquisition across several deepwater leases was supporting future exploration, while planned infill drilling at the Agbami and non-operated Usan hubs was aimed at mitigating natural production decline and sustaining output.
Chevron identified gas development as another major area of its contribution to Nigeria’s energy sector.
The company said investments in the Escravos Gas Plant and Escravos Gas-to-Liquids facility had supported gas utilisation, reduced routine flaring and enabled the production of products including naphtha and refined diesel.
It also highlighted its role in the development of the approximately 700-kilometre West African Gas Pipeline, through which Nigeria supplies gas to Benin, Togo and Ghana.
According to the company, the pipeline continues to support regional economic growth and energy security.
Chevron said local content and human capacity development remained central to its operations in Nigeria, noting that Nigerians accounted for more than 90 per cent of its in-country workforce.
The company said it established its Local Content Policy in 1999, before the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act in 2010.
It added that it continued to collaborate with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board while creating contract opportunities for Nigerian companies and contractors.
Beyond its core operations, Chevron said it and its partners continued to invest in healthcare, education and environmental conservation.
In the health sector, the company said the Agbami parties had constructed and equipped more than 28 chest clinics, donated nine mother-and-child healthcare centres and provided a medical diagnostics laboratory.
The facilities, according to Chevron, had strengthened tuberculosis treatment, maternal and child healthcare, diagnostics and emergency response.
Chevron said its education programmes had benefited more than 23,000 people through scholarships, infrastructure and capacity building.
It said that since 2009, the Agbami Medical and Engineering Professional Scholarship had supported more than 16,500 students nationwide, including 715 first-class graduates.
Chevron Nigeria and its deepwater partners have also delivered 39 science laboratory complexes and 25 conventional and hybrid libraries, while encouraging students to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
In environmental conservation, the company recalled its support for the establishment of the 78-hectare Lekki Conservation Centre, which it donated to the Nigerian Conservation Foundation in 1992.
Chevron said the centre now supports research, education and biodiversity protection.
As Nigeria celebrates 66 years of independence, the company said it viewed the country as a long-term strategic partner and would continue investing in energy development, Nigerian capability and sustainable national progress.
The company said through disciplined investment, collaboration and responsible operations, it intended to continue contributing to Nigeria’s energy security, economic growth and shared prosperity.
