Sam Ikeotuonye
Lagos — Nigeria has achieved its highest crude oil production in 15 months, surpassing its Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, production quota in May 2026 amid stability in oil operations and absence of major disruptions across key facilities.
This was disclosed b y the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC in a statement, showing that the Nigeria produced an average 1,530,354 barrels of crude oil per day in May, an increase on the country’s 1.5 million barrels per day quota approved by OPEC.
The statement issued Thursday by the Head of Media and Corporate Communications at the NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu, indicated that when the country’s 170,446 barrels per day condensate production, the total oil output rose to 1,700,800 barrels per day, clearly setting Nigeria out as Africa’s largest oil producer.
“Nigeria’s oil production witnessed an upswing in May 2026, averaging 1,530,354 barrels of crude oil and 170,446 barrels of condensates per day, bringing the total combined production to 1,700,800 barrels per day and consolidating Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest oil producer.
“The average crude oil production recorded during the month of May represents 102 per cent of Nigeria’s 1.5 million barrels per day production quota allocated by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries,” NUPRC said in the statement.
It stated that “Production performance during the review period remained robust, with combined crude oil and condensate output ranging between a low of 1.51 million barrels per day and a peak of 1.86 million barrels per day.”
Nigeria’s latest output in May represents its highest combined crude oil and condensate output since July 2025, when production rose to 1,712,282 barrels per day.
