The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe has announced that the nation is firmly on course to reach its ambitious oil production goal of 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2026.
He disclosed this at the 4th PENGASSAN and Labour Summit (PEALS 2025), held under the theme “Building a Resilient Oil and Gas Sector in Nigeria: Advancing HSE, ESG, Investment and Incremental Production.”
Komolafe noted that daily crude output has risen notably from 1.46 million bpd in October 2024 to approximately 1.8 million bpd today, signaling strong momentum toward the target.
He attributed this progress to a host of strategic interventions, including:
Presidential Executive Orders under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which have accelerated contract approvals, reduced investment risks, and stimulated upstream development.
Enhanced efforts in deepwater exploration, revival of dormant fields, and the deployment of enhanced recovery techniques.
A Deepwater Technical Stakeholders’ Workshop that aimed to unlock over 810,000 barrels per day in additional production capacity.
The development comes after a series of coordinated national efforts designed to strengthen Nigeria’s downstream and upstream production that, not only increase volume, but also optimize the operations structurally.
