Nigeria has met its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil production quota for the fourth consecutive month, even as its overall output remains below the level projected in the 2026 national budget.
Data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed that the country produced an average of 1,677,777 barrels of crude oil and condensates per day in August 2026. This represents a 0.4 percent increase from the previous month. When condensates are excluded, Nigeria’s crude oil production averaged 1,500,190 barrels per day in August. This was enough to meet the country’s OPEC production quota of 1.5 million barrels per day.
The figures were contained in a statement issued by NUPRC’s Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu. The regulator said the performance reflected ongoing efforts by operators to improve efficiency and restore production capacity that had been lost because of operational difficulties. During the month, Nigeria’s combined crude oil and condensate production moved between 1.64 million and 1.71 million barrels per day.
Bonny Terminal recorded the highest average production at 320.04 thousand barrels per day, followed by Forcados Terminal with 317.40 thousand barrels per day. Qua Iboe Terminal produced an average of 171.72 thousand barrels per day, while Escravos recorded 131.71 thousand barrels per day. Bonga contributed 92.50 thousand barrels per day.
NUPRC attributed part of the August improvement to the resolution of operational problems linked to the Single Buoy Mooring system at the Erha field. The problems had affected production in the previous month. The restoration of normal production and crude evacuation at the field helped support the increase recorded in August.
“While the increase recorded in August was modest, it reflects the industry’s continued efforts to address operational bottlenecks and restore affected production capacity. Stakeholders remain focused on enhancing asset reliability, improving operational resilience and advancing intervention programs to support sustained production growth in the coming months,” the commission stated.
The regulator added that production remained stable across most oil assets during the period. It said measures to improve operations, protect infrastructure and reduce disruptions to crude evacuation also supported output. Nigeria’s recent performance represents a notable improvement from earlier in the year. OPEC data showed that the country’s crude production averaged 1.525 million barrels per day in the second quarter, up from 1.388 million barrels per day in the first quarter.
However, meeting the OPEC quota has not been enough to meet the Federal Government’s own production expectations. Nigeria’s 2026 budget is based on an oil production assumption of 1.84 million barrels per day, including condensates. Nairametrics’ analysis shows that production remained below this benchmark from May through August. The continued gap could affect projected government oil revenues, particularly if production does not rise significantly in the coming months.
Industry stakeholders have identified the need to resolve operational challenges, tackle crude oil theft and increase investment in upstream assets as important steps towards raising production. The latest figures therefore show a mixed picture for Nigeria’s oil sector: production has recovered enough to meet its OPEC obligation, but the country still has a significant gap to close before reaching its budget target.
