Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to the OPEC+ production deal but says it will continue pushing to ramp up oil output in line with its national interest, without breaching the agreed production ceiling.
Speaking after the 39th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting and the 60th Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, JMMC, Meeting, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said the country remains fully aligned with the Declaration of Cooperation but is determined to boost production under the framework of OPEC’s maximum sustainable capacity.
“Nigeria remains fully aligned with the agreed production levels and strongly upholds the critical importance of full conformity, as emphasized during the meeting.
“While we are actively driving to ramp up production, this ambition is not in contradiction with OPEC’s maximum sustainable production capacity,” Lokpobiri said in a statement.
His comments come amid ongoing efforts by Nigeria to recover lost output and restore upstream investment, following years of underperformance and disruption from crude theft, aging infrastructure, and sabotage.
Lokpobiri stressed that the drive to increase output is not an act of defiance, but part of Nigeria’s long-term strategy to regain lost market share and support economic recovery.
“It is a reflection of our strategic pursuit of national interest within the parameters of the DoC. We will continue working collaboratively within OPEC, ensuring our production goals enhance market stability and long-term energy security.”
At the OPEC+ meeting, participating countries reiterated their resolve to support efforts aimed at achieving and sustaining a stable and balanced oil market.
The group has, over the past year, implemented various levels of voluntary output adjustments to respond to global demand shifts and macroeconomic volatility.
