By Abiodun Folarin
WorldStage— Nigeria’s crude oil production recorded another milestone in September 2026, meeting the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota for the fifth consecutive month, with output averaging 1.53 million barrels per day (bpd), according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The output represented 102 per cent of Nigeria’s OPEC quota of 1.5 million bpd, excluding condensates, as the country sustained its production recovery amid improved operational stability across major oil-producing assets.
Data released by the NUPRC showed that Nigeria’s average daily production of crude oil and condensates rose by 2.34 per cent to 1.717 million barrels in September, compared with the preceding month.
Daily production peaked at 1.84 million barrels during the month, while the lowest daily output stood at 1.68 million barrels.
The September performance extended Nigeria’s five-month run of meeting its OPEC crude oil production quota. The country produced 1.53 million bpd in May, 1.55 million bpd in June, 1.51 million bpd in July, 1.5 million bpd in August and 1.53 million bpd in September.
The commission attributed the improved performance to stable production operations across most producing assets and the absence of major pipeline outages during the period.
According to the NUPRC, the improved operating environment supported higher production uptime and more efficient crude oil evacuation.
It said the sustained growth reflected the efforts of operators and other industry stakeholders to improve operational efficiency, maintain asset integrity and strengthen production reliability across Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.
A breakdown of production by terminal and stream showed that Forcados Terminal recorded the highest average daily output at 320,320 barrels, followed by Bonny Terminal with 303,270 barrels.
The figures underscore Nigeria’s continued efforts to sustain crude oil production above its OPEC quota, although maintaining the gains will depend on operational stability and the continued reliability of production and evacuation infrastructure.
