Seplat Energy Plc has called for accelerated oil and gas exploration, stronger indigenous capabilities and greater deployment of technology to unlock Nigeria’s energy potential, strengthen domestic supply and drive long-term economic growth.
Engr. Effiong Okon, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, made the call in keynote addresses delivered at the 44th Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) Annual International Conference and Exhibition (AICE) 2026 in Lagos.
Speaking on the opening day of the conference, themed “Unlocking More Barrels: Driving Reserves Growth Through Exploration, Local Capabilities and Adaptive Technology,” Okon said Nigeria had significant hydrocarbon resources but needed to accelerate the conversion of reserves into actual production.
“Nigeria is better placed than most. We have a significant resource base and a strategic position in global energy supply. However, a reserve is a promise. A barrel delivered is a result. Our task is to close the distance between the two, and to do it faster,” he said.
He identified exploration, indigenous capacity and adaptive technology as three critical drivers of reserves growth and increased production.
According to him, investments in advanced seismic imaging, disciplined appraisal programmes and digital technologies would help reduce subsurface uncertainties, improve investment decisions and accelerate the development of oil and gas resources.
Highlighting Seplat Energy’s operational experience, Okon said the company had restored 90 idle offshore wells in less than 24 months, demonstrating the capacity of indigenous operators to unlock additional production through local expertise and targeted investment.
He disclosed that 41 wells restored in 2026 had added gross production capacity of approximately 33,700 barrels of oil and 176 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
He also cited the company’s application of machine learning in subsurface evaluation and development planning, alongside appraisal programmes at Amukpe and Okporhuru, as examples of how technology and existing infrastructure could accelerate resource commercialisation.
Expanding his argument on the second day of the conference, Okon said increasing oil and gas production alone would not guarantee energy security without an efficient and interconnected energy value chain.
In a keynote address titled “Energy Security in an Era of Global Disruption: Positioning Nigeria for Resilience, Competitiveness, and Prosperity,” he described energy security as a system-wide responsibility covering upstream production, pipelines, gas processing, refining, petrochemicals, power generation and transmission.
He stressed that a stable and predictable policy environment was equally important to attracting the long-term investments required to develop the sector.
“Disruption raises the value of dependable supply, and Nigeria is building the capacity to provide it: first for Nigerians, and then for the world,” he said.
According to him, renewed investments across the upstream, gas, midstream, refining and power segments present an opportunity for Nigeria to strengthen domestic energy supply and improve its competitiveness in the global energy market.
However, he cautioned that individual projects and investment announcements would only deliver meaningful results when the different components of the energy value chain function effectively together.
He identified connection, consistency and Nigerian delivery as three priorities for translating investments into sustainable energy security.
“Every project is only as valuable as its link to the next point in the chain: well to plant, plant to pipeline, pipeline to power station, and power station to customer,” he said.
As an example, Okon pointed to Seplat Energy’s ANOH Gas Plant and its connection to national gas infrastructure. He said the company achieved first commercial gas through the
