An energy communication researcher, Dr. Adeola Yusuf, has urged President Bola Tinubu to require oil producers and contractors to implement phase-by-phase strategic communication plans detailing progress toward Nigeria’s 3 million barrels per day (mbpd) oil production target for 2030.
Yusuf, who is also Team Lead of Platforms Africa, made the call during a plenary session at the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026 in Abuja. Speaking on the theme “Impact of Storytelling in Attracting Investment in Nigeria and Africa’s Energy Transformation,” he highlighted that projects with clear, stage-wise communication achieve better outcomes than those without.
He emphasised that even if the 2030 target is met, Nigeria’s per capita oil production will remain above the projected output for that year, making communication crucial to achieving the goal.
“With the current production of 1.6 million barrels daily and a population of around 200 million, per capita production is 0.008 barrel per person, compared to 0.007 barrel per person in 2030 when the population is expected to reach 401 million. This shows why the country cannot lag behind the target,” Yusuf explained.
Drawing on his research on press coverage of the Presidential Assent to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) 2021, Yusuf noted that strategic communication significantly improved public and investor awareness. His study revealed that after the passage of the bill, media coverage in 2021 was more robust compared to 2018, when official silence on the presidential withholding of assent left the nation and investors uninformed.
He recalled that on July 29, 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari formally declined assent to the PIB, but the news was not widely disseminated until it was later confirmed on August 29, 2018, highlighting the consequences of poor communication.
“The contrast between 2018 and 2021 underscores the power of strategic communication in policy formation and execution,” Yusuf said.
He concluded that deliberate internal and external communication by stakeholders is essential for Nigeria to meet its 3mbpd production target by 2030, ensuring transparency, accountability, and investor confidence.
