Top 10 oil and gas companies in Nigeria and their websites

Top 10 oil and gas companies in Nigeria and their websites

The petroleum industry is Nigeria's major source of income. Since it contributes about 95% of the country's foreign exchange earnings, oil and gas companies in Nigeria play a significant role in the nation's economy. Discover the top oil companies in Nigeria and their websites below.

Top 10 oil and gas companies in Nigeria
A person putting gasoline on a vehicle. Photo: pexels.com, @Erik Mclean (modified by author)
Source: UGC

Man discovered the benefits of oil a long time ago. Oil fields existed on the banks of the Euphrates as early as 4-6 thousand years before the 21st century. Approximately 700 years ago, the famous traveller Marco Polo visited the territory of modern Azerbaijan and described it in his notes as "earth oil", which "cannot be eaten, but it burns and heals camels well."

Top oil and gas companies in Nigeria

Oil and gas companies in Nigeria contribute more than 65% of the government's budget funds. Nigeria is the biggest producer and exporter of oil and gas in Africa. According to the USA Energy Information Administration, there are 17 billion to 22 billion barrels in Nigeria's oil reserves.

Read also

Top Nigerian oil moguls who rule the oil industry, companies and net worth

Other sources claim this figure could be as high as 35 billion. Nigeria has over 150 oil fields and more than 1400 active wells. Most reserves are in the Niger River's delta and at the coast.

PAY ATTENTION: Subscribe to Digital Talk newsletter to receive must-know business stories and succeed BIG!

Nigeria is home to many international oil companies. Some of these companies have gas stations all over the world. Below are the top 10 oil companies in Nigeria:

10. Addax Petroleum

top 10 oil companies in Nigeria
A person putting gasoline on a car. Photo: unsplash.com, @Erik Mclean
Source: UGC

Addax Petroleum was established in 1994 and began operating in Nigeria in 1998. The company became a subsidiary of the Sinopec Group (one of the largest oil and gas producers in China) in August 2009. Sinopec Group is one of China's largest oil and gas producers, the biggest oil refiner in Asia, and the third largest worldwide. They work with over 100 wells in Nigeria.

Read also

94-year-old Chinese man emerges world’s richest real estate agent

9. South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO)

list of oil companies in Nigeria
A crude oil rig station at sea. Photo: pixabay.com, @12019-12019
Source: UGC
  • Headquarters: Odeku Street, Lagos, Nigeria
  • Founded: 1995
  • Website: www.sapetro.com

South Atlantic Petroleum is one of Nigeria's most prominent local oil and gas companies. Theophilus Danjuma established SAPETRO in 1995. The company participated in developing the Akpo deepwater field off the coast of Port Harcourt. It is currently the second largest acreage holder in all offshore East and Southern Africa.

8. Hardy Plc

Top 10 oil and gas companies in Nigeria
An offshore oil drilling station. Photo: pixabay.com, @baggerolli
Source: UGC

Hardy Oil and Gas Plc was established in 1997. It changed its name to Hardy Plc on 31st May 2005 and announced a successful well test on the Oza field in Nigeria in 2007.

The British-based giant oil and gas company operates in Atala and Oza. It holds 20% of interest in these onshore oil fields and explores them with Bayelsa Oil Company Limited and Millenium Oil and Gas Company.

Read also

List of smart Anambra billionaires who started from Onitsha to build national brands

7. TotalEnergies

list of oil companies in Nigeria
A car refuelling at a gas station. Photo: unsplash.com, @Hugo Clément
Source: UGC

TotalEnergies SE is a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company. It was established in 1924 and began marketing its petroleum products in Nigeria on 1st June 1956. The company has a wide distribution network of over 500 oil stations in the country and also deals in power generation and chemical production.

6. Nexen Petroleum Nigeria Limited

list of oil and gas companies in nigeria
An offshore crude oil drilling rig on the ocean. Photo: pexels.com, @Jan-Rune Smenes Reite
Source: UGC

Nexen Petroleum is one of the best oil and gas companies in Canada. The company is a subsidiary of CNOOC Limited. CNOOC Limited is a Chinese company with headquarters in Beijing, China.

Nexen Petroleum Nigeria Limited has a 20% working interest in Usan and is developing the oil field alongside Esso E&P Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, which is the oil field's operator. Other partners in this project are Chevron Petroleum Nigeria Limited and Total E&P Nigeria Limited.

Read also

Nigerian consumer firms struggling to sustain cashflow as Nigerians buy on credit

5. Nigerian Agip Oil (NAOC)

Top 10 oil and gas companies in Nigeria
An offshore crude oil rigging station. Photo: pixabay.com, @wasi1370
Source: UGC
  • Headquarters: Rome, Italy
  • Founded: 1962
  • Website: www.eni.com

NAOC is one of the largest oil and gas companies in Nigeria. Eni (an integrated energy company headquartered in Italy) operates in the onshore and offshore areas of the Niger Delta through its subsidiaries NAOC, NAE, and AENR. Eni has been in Nigeria since 1962 through its subsidiary, Nigerian Agip Oil Company.

4. Shell Energy Nigeria

oil company in Nigeria
Cars refuelling at a gas station. Photo: pexels.com, @Erik Mclean
Source: UGC

Shell is the best oil company in Nigeria and a top player in the oil industry. It has been active and cooperating with the NNPC since 1937. Many Nigerians love working for Shell because of its decent salary rates. Shell Energy Nigeria has four subsidiaries in Nigeria:

  • The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria joint venture (SPDC JV)
  • Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo)
  • Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG)
  • Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG)

Read also

Benedict Peters: The silent billionaire with the largest oil tank farms in Nigeria

3. Equinor ASA

oil company in Nigeria
An offshore crude oil drilling Rig on a body of water. Photo: pexels.com, @Zukiman Mohamad
Source: UGC

Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is the biggest Norwegian oil company worldwide. The company has been in Nigeria since 1992 and has played a significant role in developing Agbami (Nigeria's biggest deep-water field).

Equinor has drilled 10 wells and invested over US$3.5 billion in Nigeria. The company is among the country's biggest suppliers of refined products and has a 20.21% stake in the Agbami oil field. Chevron (the operator) has 67.30% interest, and Prime 127 holds a 12.49% stake in this oil field.

2. Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL)

top oil and gas companies in Nigeria
A gas station under the blue sky. Photo: pexels.com, @Wendy Wei
Source: UGC

Chevron Corporation is an American company and one of Standard Oil's successor companies. It is one of the largest investors and oil producers in Nigeria. Chevron began doing business in Nigeria in 1913, dealing in oil, gas and alternative energy sources. It operates in the onshore and offshore assets in the Niger Delta region as a joint venture of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Read also

Why major oil companies are leaving Nigeria as Seplat acquires 100 per cent of Mobil

1. Exxon Mobil

Top 10 oil and gas companies in Nigeria
Images of Exxon Mobil gas stations: Photo: @exxonmobil_png, @pet_rana, @twereporter, @cnn (modified by author)
Source: UGC

ExxonMobil Corporation began in the US on 30th November 1999 and is a top oil and gas company in Nigeria. The company commenced operations in Nigeria in 1955 as Mobil Exploration Nigeria Incorporated (MENI). It is now called Mobil Producing Nigeria.

List of oil and gas companies in Nigeria

About 131 companies work in Nigeria's oil industry, including drilling and survey contractors. Many oil companies (international and local) have entered and quit Nigeria's oil industry over the years due to high insecurity levels, corruption, government policies, stiff competition, and other reasons.

Below is a list of oil companies in Nigeria (petroleum and exploration companies only), but it might not reflect recent changes:

Multinational petroleum and exploration companies

Addax Petroleum Development (Nigeria)Conoco Petroleum Nigeria
Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE)Star Deep Water Petroleum
Addax Petroleum Exploration (Nigeria)Elf Petroleum Nigeria (EPNL)
Nigerian Agip Oil (NAOC)Statoil Nigeria
Agip Energy & Natural Resources (Nigeria)Total Upstream Nigeria
Petroleo Brasileiro NigeriaSyntroleum Nigeria
Brass ExplorationHardy Oil Nigeria
Phillips Oil Company (Nigeria)Texaco Nigeria Outer Shelf
Chevron NigeriaMobil Producing Nigeria
Conoco Energy NigeriaNexen Petroleum Nigeria
Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production (SNEPCo)Texaco Overseas (Nigeria) Petroleum (TOPCON)
Shell Petroleum Development Company Of NigeriaEsso Exploration & Production (Nigeria) (EEPNL)

Read also

The man Prince Arthur Eze, net worth, business, private jet

Local petroleum and exploration companies

Afren Energy ResourcesYinka Folawiyo Petroleum
Alfred James PetroleumNiger Delta Petroleum Resources
Allied Energy Resources (Nigeria)Sunlink Petroleum
Amalgamated OilNoreast Petroleum
Moni PuloOilworld
Atlas Oranto Petroleum OilOptimum Petroleum Dev.
Camac NigeriaFamfa Oil
Conoil ProducingOriental Energy Resources
Dubri OilPan Ocean Oil Corp. (Nigeria)
Equator Exploration NigeriaSahara Energy Fields
Express Petroleum & GasSolgas Petroleum
Orient Petroleum Resources LimitedSouth Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO)
Midlantic InternationalSummit Oil International
Millenium Oil & Gas Company (MOGCL)Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC)
Amni International Petroleum DevelopmentNigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

How many oil and gas companies are in Nigeria?

There are over 50 oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria in 2022.

Which oil company is the biggest in Nigeria?

Shell Energy Nigeria, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, TotalEnergies, and Equinor ASA are the top five largest oil investors and producers in Nigeria.

Read also

Nigeria, other African countries hit jackpot as Europe rushes to Africa for gas supply

How many gas companies are in Nigeria?

There are over 50 oil and gas companies in Nigeria.

How many oil wells are in Nigeria?

Nigeria has a total of 159 oil fields and 1481 wells in operation.

How many oil blocks does Nigeria have?

Nigeria has 390 oil blocks, 173 were awarded to individuals and corporations, while 215 are yet to be awarded.

Which state has the most oil in Nigeria?

Akwa Ibom State has the highest-oil producing wells in Nigeria.

The top oil and gas companies in Nigeria are the backbone of this country's oil industry. They also provide jobs for millions of people by investing in multi-billion development projects in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Importance of crude oil in Nigeria's economy well explained

Legit.ng also shared the importance of crude oil in Nigeria's economy. Crude oil has enabled Nigeria to foster incredibly beneficial international relations with the US, the UK, and China.

Read also

Shell, other oil Companies shift priority to clean energy, sell assets to Elumelu Other Nigerian billionaires

The article also contains a short history of oil in Nigeria, facts about the current state of this industry, and what the government plans to do to improve it and increase its revenue.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Peris Walubengo avatar

Peris Walubengo (Lifestyle writer) Peris Walubengo is a content creator with 3 years of experience in writing informational and entertainment articles, researching, editing, and proofreading. She has a Bachelor of Commerce & IT from the University of Nairobi (class of 2019). She joined Legit.ng in April 2022. She covers bios, marketing & finance, tech, fashion & beauty, recipes, movies and video game reviews, culture & traveling. In 2023, Peris finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. Email: perisrodah254@gmail.com.

Adrianna Simwa avatar

Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Simwa finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: adriannasimwa@gmail.com