Oil
Nigeria exceeds OPEC oil quota for fifth consecutive month
Nigeria maintained its crude output above the OPEC target in September, driven by stable asset operations and fewer pipeline disruptions.
Key points
- Daily crude and condensate production averaged 1.717 million barrels in September.
- Crude oil production alone averaged 1.53 million barrels per day, exceeding the 1.5 million OPEC quota.
- Single-day production reached a peak of 1.84 million barrels during the month.
- The Forcados and Bonny terminals led output contributions across the country.
What happened
According to Punch Newspapers, Nigeria sustained its crude oil output above its designated Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries quota for the fifth straight month in September. Data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission indicates that total daily output of crude and condensates increased by 2.34 per cent to reach 1.717 million barrels.
Excluding condensates, average daily crude production stood at 1.53 million barrels. This figure surpassed the country's 1.5 million barrels per day OPEC allocation by 30,000 barrels, representing 102 per cent compliance. Single-day production peaked at 1.84 million barrels, while the lowest daily output was recorded at 1.68 million barrels.
Why it matters
Punch reported that the regulatory commission attributed the stable output to consistent production across assets and a lack of significant pipeline outages. This operational stability helped improve uptime and the efficiency of crude evacuation from producing fields, overcoming historical challenges such as theft and vandalism.
Terminal data showed that the Forcados Terminal was the largest contributor in September with an average of 320,320 barrels per day, followed closely by the Bonny Terminal at 303,270 barrels per day.
What comes next
Industry stakeholders continue to focus on maintaining asset integrity and operational reliability across the upstream sector to preserve these production gains and consolidate Nigeria's position as a leading continental producer.
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.
