Nigeria’s Crude Oil Production Hits Six-Year High, Exceeds OPEC Quota

Nigeria’s crude oil production rose to its highest level in more than six years in June 2026, surpassing its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota for the fourth consecutive month.

Data released on Sunday by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed that the country produced an average of 1.56 million barrels of crude oil per day in June, while condensate production stood at 0.18 million barrels per day, bringing total oil and condensate output to 1,735,398 barrels per day.

The crude oil output represents 104 per cent of Nigeria’s OPEC production quota of 1.5 million barrels per day and is the country’s highest level since April 2020, marking a 74-month high.

According to the commission, June also marked the fourth consecutive month of production growth, highlighting the continued recovery of Nigeria’s oil sector after years of challenges caused by crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and operational disruptions.

The report showed that total oil and condensate production increased from 1.700 million barrels per day in May to 1.735 million barrels per day in June, representing a 2.2 per cent month-on-month increase.

Production has steadily increased over the past five months, rising from 1.483 million barrels per day in February to 1.564 million in March, 1.663 million in April, 1.701 million in May, and 1.735 million in June.

The NUPRC attributed the sustained growth to improved stability across oil-producing facilities, the absence of major pipeline disruptions and effective maintenance of production assets.

It stated:

“The improved performance was primarily driven by stable production operations across most producing assets and the absence of any major pipeline outages during the period under review.

“This enhanced operational stability supported improved production uptime and crude evacuation efficiency. Although a limited number of assets experienced short-duration operational shutdowns, the overall impact on national production was minimal.

“In addition, scheduled turnaround maintenance activities were effectively managed and completed without significant disruption to production operations.

“The sustained growth recorded in June reflects the continued commitment of operators and industry stakeholders towards improving operational efficiency, maintaining asset integrity, and enhancing production reliability across the Nigerian upstream petroleum sector.”

The commission disclosed that Nigeria’s highest daily combined crude oil and condensate production during the month reached 1.89 million barrels per day, while the lowest daily output stood at 1.57 million barrels per day.

The latest production figures bring Nigeria closer to the Federal Government’s target of producing two million barrels of oil per day, a goal that has remained difficult to achieve because of insecurity in oil-producing communities, crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and ageing infrastructure.

An analysis of production across export terminals showed that Bonny Terminal remained the country’s highest-producing terminal, recording an average daily output of 318,280 barrels, up from 293,880 barrels in May.

Forcados Terminal followed with 306,360 barrels per day, compared to 289,900 barrels recorded the previous month.

Production at Qua Iboe Terminal declined to 164,730 barrels per day from 173,360 barrels in May, while Escravos Terminal recorded a slight increase to 138,030 barrels per day from 135,470 barrels. Bonga Terminal also posted a marginal rise to 103,660 barrels per day, compared to 102,540 barrels in May.

The increase in production is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s crude oil export earnings, improve foreign exchange inflows and boost government revenue as efforts continue to attract more investment into the upstream petroleum sector.

Nigeria has struggled in recent years to meet its OPEC production quota due to crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, underinvestment and other operational challenges. However, reforms introduced under the Petroleum Industry Act, improved security around oil facilities and closer collaboration between government agencies and oil producers have helped support the gradual recovery in output.

Sustaining production above the OPEC quota will be key to achieving the government’s target of producing two million barrels of oil per day and maximising the benefits of favourable global oil market conditions.