Nigeria has once again fallen short of its 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) crude oil production quota set by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), according to the latest industry data.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), in its National Liquid Hydrocarbon Production Report released Tuesday, showed that average daily crude output hovered around 1.4 million bpd in April—about 99 percent of the OPEC allocation.
When condensates are included, total production rose to about 1.6 million bpd for the month. Combined crude oil and condensate output peaked at 1.85 million bpd, while the lowest daily production stood at 1.46 million bpd. April’s figures also marked an improvement over March’s 1.38 million bpd.
Despite the modest rebound, Nigeria has now failed to consistently meet its OPEC quota for nine consecutive months since July 2025. The country also remains below the 1.84 million bpd production benchmark used in the 2026 federal budget.
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Government and industry stakeholders have continued efforts to ramp up output to 2 million bpd in a bid to boost fiscal revenue, strengthen foreign exchange inflows, and support budget implementation.
However, structural challenges—including crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, ageing infrastructure, and underinvestment in the upstream sector—continue to constrain production growth.
Monthly data shows volatility in output: production rose from 1.31 million bpd in February to 1.38 million bpd in March, before improving further in April. Earlier figures indicate 1.46 million bpd in January, down from 1.422 million bpd in December 2025, following a brief peak of 1.54 million bpd in January.
In 2025, Nigeria met or slightly exceeded its OPEC quota only in January, June, and July, while production remained below target for most of the year.
