Nigeria’s daily crude oil production dipped by nearly four per cent month-on-month in July following operational setbacks at two major offshore assets, though the nation managed to surpass its OPEC output target for the third month in a row.
According to latest figures released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday, total daily output, comprising both crude oil and condensate, averaged 1.67 million barrels per day (mbpd) in July.
This marks a 65,000 barrel-per-day decline from the 1.735 mbpd produced in June. Despite the setback, crude output alone averaged 1.505 mbpd, marginally beating the 1.5 mbpd allocation set by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
The decline interrupted a steady upward trajectory recorded across the first half of the year, which saw output rise consistently from 1.459 mbpd in January up to June’s peak. Even with the July contraction, national output remains roughly 14.5 per cent higher than January levels.
NUPRC spokesperson Eniola Akinkuotu confirmed that “In the month of July 2026, Nigeria produced 1.505mbpd of crude oil and 0.17mbpd of condensate,” noting that “Although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in the month of July, the statistics show that on a month-on-month basis, production fell by 4 per cent.” Daily combined production throughout the month fluctuated between 1.57 mbpd and 1.78 mbpd.
The regulatory body attributed the lower performance primarily to disruptions at the Erha and Akpo fields, explaining that “These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.”
It added, however, that operations elsewhere remained stable and that stakeholders are actively “restoring affected production capacity and strengthening asset reliability to support improved performance in subsequent months.”
A breakdown of terminal activity revealed that the Forcados Terminal led overall production, generating an average of 322.34 thousand barrels per day (kbpd). Bonny Terminal followed closely with 303.72 kbpd, while Qua Iboe (158.02 kbpd), Escravos (131.41 kbpd), and Bonga (100.23 kbpd) rounded out the top five producing streams.
Boosting crude output remains a priority for both the Federal Government and energy regulators, as crude sales continue to underpin national revenues, foreign currency receipts, and upstream investments.