Nigeria’s state oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), experienced a significant downturn in its operational performance and earnings for September 2025, recording a substantial monthly revenue loss of approximately ₦380 billion. The figure, released in the company’s latest monthly performance report, showed that total revenue for September stood at ₦4.27 trillion, a noticeable decline from the ₦4.65 trillion posted in the preceding month of August. Accompanying this drop in income was a sharp reduction in profit after tax, which plummeted from ₦539 billion in August to ₦216 billion in September.
The financial decline was directly attributed to a dip in the output of crude oil and condensates. According to the report, total production averaged 1.61 million barrels per day (mbpd) in September, a decrease from the 1.65 mbpd recorded in August. Specifically, crude oil production slipped to 1.37 mbpd, while condensate output also saw a slight reduction.
The corporation explained that the shortfall was primarily a result of several operational challenges. These included crucial planned maintenance activities at key facilities, such as those at the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) plant. Further exacerbating the issue were delays in the commencement of full operations at several assets, notably at Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 71 and 72, alongside the gradual, phased recovery of other previously shut-in assets. The NNPC Group Chief Executive also pointed to a two-day strike action by oil workers’ unions, which reportedly affected production levels and contributed to the overall reduced output figures for the month.
The operational slump was not limited to oil; natural gas production also fell considerably during the period, declining from 6,949 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) in August to 6,284 mmscf/d in September, leading to a corresponding drop in gas sales.
Despite the weakening operational performance and the hit to monthly revenue, the NNPC confirmed that major infrastructure projects continue to move forward. The report noted that work on the critical Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project has advanced well, reaching 88 per cent completion as of September. Additionally, a revised implementation plan is now underway for the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben gas pipeline to ensure it meets its target delivery timelines. Positive news was confirmed for the OB3 Gas Pipeline, a 113-kilometre stretch of which has been commissioned and is now flowing approximately 300 million standard cubic feet of gas daily from various independent producers.
The combined data confirms that while the corporation is maintaining momentum on large-scale infrastructure and social responsibility projects, such as training thousands of vulnerable farmers and providing life-saving cardiac interventions through its foundation, the core business of oil and gas production suffered a significant operational and financial setback in September.
