By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
Nigeria’s crude oil production has climbed to its highest level in 74 months, with the country surpassing its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota after recording sustained growth in oil output for the fourth consecutive month.
Latest production figures for June 2026 show that Nigeria produced an average of 1,735,398 barrels of crude oil and condensates per day, comprising 1.56 million barrels of crude oil and about 180,000 barrels of condensates daily.
The performance represents 104 per cent of Nigeria’s OPEC crude oil production quota of 1.5 million barrels per day, underscoring a significant rebound in the nation’s upstream petroleum sector.
The June crude oil production of 1.56 million barrels per day, excluding condensates, is Nigeria’s highest monthly output since April 2020, marking a 74-month record for Africa’s largest oil producer.
Data released on Sunday, July 12, 2026 also revealed that Nigeria’s combined crude oil and condensate production peaked at 1.89 million barrels per day during the month, indicating the country’s growing potential to attain the 2 million barrels per day production target in the near future. The lowest production level recorded during the period stood at 1.57 million barrels per day.
The country’s oil production has maintained a steady upward trajectory over the past five months, rising from 1.483 million barrels per day in February to 1.546 million in March, 1.663 million in April, 1.700 million in May, before reaching 1.735 million barrels per day in June, representing a 2.2 per cent month-on-month increase.
Industry analysts attributed the improved performance to stable production across major oil assets, uninterrupted pipeline operations, and enhanced efficiency in crude oil evacuation.
Although a few production facilities experienced brief operational shutdowns, the disruptions had minimal impact on overall national output.
Scheduled maintenance activities were also successfully completed without significantly affecting production levels.
The sustained growth reflects the continued efforts of operators and stakeholders in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum industry to improve operational efficiency, strengthen asset integrity, and enhance production reliability.
Terminal-by-terminal performance showed that Bonny Terminal remained the country’s highest-producing export terminal with an average output of 318.28 thousand barrels per day, up from 293.88 thousand barrels per day recorded in May.
Forcados Terminal followed closely with 306.36 thousand barrels per day, compared to 289.90 thousand barrels per day in the previous month.
Qua Iboe Terminal recorded an average production of 164.73 thousand barrels per day, slightly lower than the 173.36 thousand barrels per day achieved in May, while Escravos Terminal improved to 138.03 thousand barrels per day from 135.47 thousand barrels per day.
Offshore producer Bonga ranked fifth among the country’s top-producing terminals, delivering an average of 103.66 thousand barrels of crude oil per day, marginally higher than the 102.54 thousand barrels per day recorded in May.
The latest production figures reinforce Nigeria’s ongoing recovery in crude oil output and strengthen optimism that the country is on course to sustain higher production levels while consolidating its position within the global oil market.
