KEY POINTS
- Nigeria’s daily crude oil and condensate output rose 2.34% to 1.72 million barrels in September.
- Crude oil production reached 1.53 million barrels per day, exceeding Nigeria’s OPEC quota by 2%.
- Nigeria targets three million barrels per day by 2030, supported by new offshore projects and investment reforms.
Nigeria’s crude oil production rose to 1.72 million barrels per day in September 2026, marking the fifth consecutive month the country met its OPEC production quota, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC.
The regulator said the country recorded a peak daily output of 1.84 million barrels during the month, supported by stable operations across most oil-producing assets and fewer disruptions to crude oil transportation.
In a statement released on Tuesday, October 13, the NUPRC said Nigeria’s average daily production of crude oil and condensate increased to 1,717,030 barrels in September, up 2.34 per cent from the 1.68 million barrels recorded in August.
The commission reported that daily production reached a high of 1.84 million barrels during the month, while the lowest output was approximately 1.68 million barrels.
The increase suggests an improvement in operational performance across the country’s upstream petroleum industry, which has faced challenges including crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, production disruptions and underinvestment.
Nigeria exceeds its OPEC quota
Excluding condensate, Nigeria produced an average of 1.53 million barrels of crude oil per day in September, exceeding its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, quota of 1.5 million barrels per day.
The figure represents 102 per cent of the country’s assigned production limit, allowing Nigeria to maintain its record of meeting the quota for five consecutive months.
Data released by the NUPRC showed that crude oil production, excluding condensate, stood at 1.53 million barrels per day in May, increased to 1.55 million barrels in June and declined slightly to 1.51 million barrels in July. Output reached 1.5 million barrels per day in August before rising again in September.
Condensate, a light liquid hydrocarbon produced alongside natural gas and crude oil, is generally excluded from OPEC’s crude oil production quotas.
Nigeria’s ability to sustain production above its assigned limit is important to government revenue, foreign exchange earnings and the country’s position in the international oil market.
