Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria’s crude oil production has surpassed its OPEC quota in 2026, with a fresh surge in output attributed to improved surveillance and operational recovery along key Niger Delta evacuation routes, particularly the Trans Niger Pipeline corridor.
Figures released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, showed that national oil production rose by 2.2 per cent in May, increasing from 1.66 million barrels per day in April to about 1.70 million barrels per day.
Crude output averaged 1.53 million barrels per day during the period, exceeding Nigeria’s OPEC quota of 1.5 million barrels per day for the first time this year.
Industry stakeholders say the milestone reflects growing effectiveness of indigenous security and surveillance interventions in protecting critical oil infrastructure, with Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, PINL, emerging as a central player in stabilising crude evacuation systems.
At a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt involving host communities from Rivers, Imo and Abia states, PINL officials linked the improved performance to enhanced pipeline integrity and sustained community engagement.
Dr. Akpos Mezeh, General Manager for Community and Stakeholder Relations at PINL, said operational stability on the Trans Niger Pipeline has been a major contributor to output recovery.
“The Trans Niger Pipeline continues to record remarkable operational stability,” Mezeh said, noting that sustained uptime has strengthened crude delivery, improved revenue inflows and reinforced investor confidence in Nigeria’s upstream sector.
He added that collaboration among communities, security agencies and operators has reduced incidents of sabotage, enabling more consistent crude evacuation.
Community leaders at the meeting said the stability of the pipeline corridor was now directly tied to economic outcomes in the Niger Delta and national revenue performance.
Chairman of the South South Monarchs Forum, Eze Sergeant Awuse, warned that the gains could be reversed without stronger institutional backing for surveillance efforts.
“This is the time the National Security Adviser and the relevant agencies should give you more support,” he said, adding that declining oil output would have widespread fiscal consequences for governance and development.
The King of Eleme Kingdom, His Majesty Dr. Philip Obele Osaro, said sustained community programmes tied to pipeline protection had helped reduce youth restiveness and improve local participation in safeguarding oil assets.
Meanwhile, NNPCL field operations officials urged communities to intensify intelligence-sharing, stressing that timely reporting of suspicious activities remains critical to sustaining pipeline security gains.
SweetCrude Reports noted note that Nigeria’s return above its OPEC production ceiling signals a fragile but significant recovery for the country’s oil sector, heavily dependent on the stability of key evacuation pipelines across the Niger Delta.
The development also reinforces the growing role of indigenous infrastructure protection firms in supporting national production targets and stabilising upstream operations.
