Nigeria’s crude oil production surpasses OPEC quota

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 - Nigeria’s average daily crude oil production rose above the quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in June 2025 — the second time this year the country has surpassed its assigned limit.

According to the latest figures from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Nigeria produced an average of 1,505,474 barrels of crude oil per day in June, representing 100.4% of its OPEC quota of 1.5 million barrels per day. When condensates are included, total production averaged about 1.7 million barrels per day.

This marks an improvement from previous months. In May, Nigeria’s crude output stood at 1.45 million barrels per day, while combined crude and condensate production was 1.65 million barrels per day. Production dipped as low as 1.60 million barrels per day in March.

The NUPRC report noted:

“Lowest and peak combined crude oil and condensate production in June were 1.61 million barrels and 1.82 million barrels per day, respectively.”

However, the output still falls short of the 2.06 million barrels per day benchmark projected in Nigeria’s 2025 budget.

Speaking recently, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), Mr. Bayo Ojulari, said Nigeria is pushing to raise production with a target of reaching 2.06 million barrels per day by 2027. He expressed optimism that output could climb to 1.9 million barrels per day by December this year.

“We have started growing. In March, we were producing about 1.56 million barrels per day, and we’re now at 1.63 million, including condensates. By the end of the year, we are hoping to clock 1.9 million barrels daily,” Ojulari said

Ojulari also highlighted a significant milestone: for the first time in years, Nigeria achieved 100% availability on its major crude oil pipelines throughout June. He attributed this success to comprehensive industry-wide security measures coordinated by the NNPC, which have helped boost production levels.

As Nigeria works to sustain this upward trend, industry watchers see improved security and infrastructure reliability as critical to achieving long-term output goals.