Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
NIGERIA has sustained its crude oil production recovery, surpassing its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production target for the fifth consecutive month, with daily output climbing to a peak of 1.84 million barrels in September 2026.
Latest figures released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed that the country recorded an average daily production of 1,717,030 barrels of crude oil and condensate during the month, representing a 2.34 per cent increase over the August output.
The data also revealed that while production reached a high of 1.84 million barrels per day, the lowest daily volume recorded during the month stood at 1.68 million barrels, reinforcing Nigeria’s position as Africa’s leading crude oil producer.
In terms of crude oil alone, excluding condensate, the country averaged 1.53 million barrels per day, exceeding the 1.5 million barrels per day OPEC quota by about two per cent.
According to a statement issued by the Head of Media and Corporate Communications at NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu, Nigeria has consistently achieved its OPEC production target for five consecutive months, posting 1.53 million barrels per day in May, 1.55 million in June, 1.51 million in July, 1.50 million in August and 1.53 million barrels per day in September.
The Commission attributed the improved performance to stable operations across major producing assets and the absence of significant pipeline disruptions throughout the review period.
It explained that the operational stability enhanced production uptime and ensured more efficient evacuation of crude oil, contributing to the sustained increase in national output.
NUPRC further noted that the September performance reflects the continued commitment of operators and other stakeholders in the upstream petroleum industry to improving efficiency, safeguarding production facilities and maintaining reliable output across the sector.
A breakdown of average daily production by export terminals showed that Forcados Terminal led with 320.32 thousand barrels per day, while Bonny Terminal followed with 303.27 thousand barrels per day, making them the highest contributing streams during the month.
