Oil
Nigeria surpasses OPEC output quota for fifth straight month
Nigeria maintained crude production above its OPEC target in September 2026, driven by stable operations and minimal pipeline disruptions.
Key points
- September crude output averaged 1.53 million barrels per day, exceeding the 1.5 million allocation.
- Combined crude and condensate volumes reached 1,717,030 barrels per day.
- The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission cited asset stability and fewer pipeline outages.
What happened
Nigeria kept its crude oil production above the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries benchmark for five consecutive months through September 2026, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. Average daily output reached 1.53 million barrels, representing 102 percent of the 1.5 million target, excluding condensate. Eniola Akinkuotu, head of media and corporate communications at the commission, reported that combined crude and condensate figures rose 2.34 percent from August to average 1,717,030 barrels per day.
Why it matters
The regulator attributed the steady performance to reliable asset operations and a lack of significant pipeline disruptions. Terminal data indicated that Forcados led output with 320,320 barrels per day, followed closely by Bonny at 303,270 barrels per day. With fuel exports accounting for 85.9 percent of merchandise exports in 2025, according to World Bank figures, sustained petroleum output remains vital for government revenues and foreign exchange reserves, even as overall production stays below long-term national goals.
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.
