Nigeria’s crude oil production has hit its highest level in more than six years, with the country exceeding its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries production quota for the fourth consecutive month, buoyed by improved operational stability and fewer disruptions to oil infrastructure.
With the latest figures released on Sunday in Abuja by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, it showed that the country’s average crude oil production rose to 1.56 million barrels per day in June 2026, while condensate output stood at 0.18 million barrels per day, bringing total crude oil and condensate production to 1,735,398 barrels per day.
The production level represents 104 per cent of Nigeria’s 1.5 million barrels per day crude oil production quota approved by OPEC and marks the country’s highest crude oil output since April 2020, making it a 74-month high.
The figures, contained in the commission’s latest production report and conveyed in a statement issued by its Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, showed that June also marked the fourth consecutive month of production growth, reinforcing the recovery of Nigeria’s upstream oil sector after years of production losses caused by crude theft, pipeline vandalism and operational disruptions.
The statement read, “Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production soared to an average of 1,735,398 barrels per day in the month of June 2026, representing positive growth for a 4th consecutive month. In the month under review, crude oil production hit 1.56mbpd while 0.18mbpd of condensates was produced. This means Nigeria met 104 per cent of the 1.5mbpd crude oil production quota set by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.”
According to the commission, total crude oil and condensate production increased from 1.700 million barrels per day recorded in May to 1.735 million barrels per day in June, representing a 2.2 per cent month-on-month increase.
The report showed that combined production had earlier stood at 1.483 million barrels per day in February before rising steadily to 1.564 million barrels per day in March, 1.663 million barrels per day in April, 1.701 million barrels per day in May, and 1.735 million barrels per day in June.
The NUPRC attributed the improved performance to stable production activities across major oil-producing assets and the absence of significant pipeline outages during the review period.
“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 statement added.
The commission also 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 production stood at 1.57 million barrels per day.
The peak production level underscores Nigeria’s growing potential to achieve the Federal Government’s medium-term ambition of producing two million barrels of oil per day, a target that has remained elusive for years due to insecurity in oil-producing communities, crude theft and ageing infrastructure.
An analysis of production by export terminals showed that Bonny Terminal retained its position as Nigeria’s highest-producing terminal, recording an average daily production of 318,280 barrels, compared with 293,880 barrels in May.
Forcados Terminal ranked second with 306,360 barrels per day, up from 289,900 barrels recorded in the previous month.
However, production at Qua Iboe Terminal declined to 164,730 barrels per day from 173,360 barrels per day in May.
Similarly, Escravos Terminal recorded a slight increase to 138,030 barrels per day, compared with 135,470 barrels per day in the previous month, while Bonga Terminal maintained steady output, producing 103,660 barrels per day, slightly above the 102,540 barrels per day recorded in May.
The sustained production growth is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s oil export earnings, improve foreign exchange inflows and provide additional fiscal revenues for the Federal Government at a time authorities are seeking to increase crude output and attract fresh investment into the upstream sector.
Nigeria has struggled in recent years to meet its OPEC production allocation because of widespread crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, underinvestment, and prolonged operational challenges. However, reforms introduced under the Petroleum Industry Act, enhanced security around critical oil infrastructure, and closer collaboration between government agencies and oil producers have contributed to the gradual recovery in production.
Maintaining production above the OPEC quota and sustaining operational stability will be critical if Nigeria is to realise its target of producing two million barrels per day and maximise the benefits of favourable global oil market conditions.
