Oil
Forcados and Bonny drive Nigerian crude output in September
Nigeria reports a modest rise in total oil and condensate output for September, driven primarily by established export terminals and steady crude streams.
Key points
- Forcados and Bonny Light terminals led national output in September.
- Combined liquids production reached 1.717 million barrels per day.
- Newer blends such as Cawthorne recorded significant growth over the year.
Terminal performance
Nigeria relied heavily on its traditional export facilities during September, with Forcados and Bonny Light delivering the largest daily volumes among the country's crude streams. Punch reported that Forcados achieved an average of 295,550 barrels per day, while Bonny Light closely followed with 289,840 barrels per day. Together, these two key terminals accounted for more than 38 percent of the national crude average for the month.
Additional major streams contributed substantially to the figures. Qua Iboe secured the third position with 14,460 barrels daily, followed by Escravos and Bonga. Meanwhile, newly introduced alternatives like the Cawthorne blend demonstrated notable expansion, more than doubling their production figures between January and September according to regulatory records.
Production trends
Overall national liquids output, encompassing both crude oil and condensates, advanced during the month under review. Provisional figures from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission showed total production climbing to 1.717 million barrels per day in September, marking a 2.34 percent increase from the preceding month's volume.
Crude oil specifically increased to 1.530 million barrels per day. Unblended condensate also registered growth, whereas blended condensate experienced a minor contraction over the same period. Fluctuations marked the earlier part of the year, with February recording the lowest monthly average before subsequent recovery through the second quarter.
Why it matters
These production figures highlight the ongoing reliance of the Nigerian economy on traditional hydrocarbon revenues. According to World Bank figures for 2025, fuel exports account for 85.9 percent of the nation's merchandise exports, demonstrating the critical role that steady terminal output plays in foreign exchange earnings and fiscal stability. For energy investors and policymakers, the gradual recovery in daily production volumes offers a stabilizing indicator, even as the sector attempts to broaden its export basket with newer crude streams and attract fresh investments into upstream infrastructure.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Crude benchmarks move budgets, currencies and inflation in producer and importer countries alike. For economies such as Nigeria, where fuels dominate exports, production and refining decisions move the whole economy.
85.9% of Nigeria’s merchandise exports were fuels in 2025Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
