Nigeria Surpasses OPEC Quota as Oil Production Hits 74-Month High

Segun Atanda/

Nigeria’s oil industry has recorded its strongest production performance in more than six years, with crude oil output exceeding the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota and signalling renewed momentum for Africa’s largest oil producer.

Fresh industry data released on Sunday showed that Nigeria produced an average of 1,735,398 barrels of crude oil and condensates per day in June 2026, marking the fourth consecutive month of production growth.

Of the total output, 1.56 million barrels per day (mbpd) came from crude oil, while 0.18 mbpd was condensates, enabling the country to achieve 104 per cent of its OPEC crude oil production quota of 1.5 mbpd.

The June crude oil production figure, excluding condensates, represents Nigeria’s highest monthly output since April 2020, making it the country’s strongest performance in 74 months.

The latest figures also underscore Nigeria’s growing capacity to return to the coveted 2 million barrels per day production mark.

During June, combined crude oil and condensate production peaked at 1.89 mbpd, while the lowest daily output stood at 1.57 mbpd.

The country’s production has maintained a steady upward trajectory in recent months, rising from 1.483 mbpd in February to 1.546 mbpd in March, 1.663 mbpd in April, 1.700 mbpd in May, and 1.735 mbpd in June, representing a 2.2 per cent month-on-month increase.

According to the report, the sustained growth was driven largely by improved operational stability across producing assets, uninterrupted pipeline operations, and the absence of major pipeline outages.

The report noted that although a few oil assets experienced brief operational shutdowns, their impact on overall national output remained minimal. It added that scheduled maintenance programmes were successfully completed without causing significant production losses.

Industry stakeholders attributed the performance to improved operational efficiency, stronger asset integrity management, and enhanced production reliability across Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.

A breakdown of production by export terminals showed Bonny Terminal retaining its position as the country’s largest producing terminal with an average of 318.28 thousand barrels per day (kbpd), up from 293.88 kbpd in May.

Forcados Terminal followed closely with 306.36 kbpd, compared to 289.90 kbpd recorded in the previous month.

Qua Iboe Terminal produced 164.73 kbpd, slightly lower than the 173.36 kbpd achieved in May, while Escravos Oil Terminal increased production to 138.03 kbpd, from 135.47 kbpd.

Offshore production from Bonga also recorded a marginal increase, averaging 103.66 kbpd, up from 102.54 kbpd in May.

The sustained improvement in output is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s oil revenue outlook, improve foreign exchange earnings, and boost investor confidence in the country’s petroleum sector, particularly as ongoing reforms continue to stabilise upstream operations.