Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, has attributed the rise in Nigeria’s oil and gas production in May 2026 to a sustained positive momentum as operations remained stable throughout the reporting period with no significant pipeline or facility outages recorded.
Additionally, it said, all previously scheduled turnaround maintenance activities had been successfully completed, contributing to improved operational reliability and production efficiency.
The commission stated this as Nigeria’s oil production witnessed an upswing in May, 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% of Nigeria’s 1.5mbpd of production quota allocated by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
Production performance during the review period remained robust, with combined crude oil and condensate output ranging between a low of 1.51 million bpd and a peak of 1.86 million bpd.
The May 2026 production figures represent the highest recorded by Nigeria since July 2025 when output surged to 1,712,282
In strict crude oil terms (excluding condensates), the 1.53 million barrels recorded in May 2026 represents the highest Nigeria has witnessed since January 2025 when crude oil production hit 1.538mbpd. The latest crude oil production statistics thus represents a 15-month high.
On a month on month basis, production rose by 2.77% in May 2026 as against 1.48mbpd in April.
The broader production trend over the last five months has also remained positive. Combined crude oil and condensate output increased from 1.48 million bpd in February to 1.54 million bpd in March, 1.66 million bpd in April, and then 1.7 million bpd in May, underscoring sustained growth in Nigeria’s hydrocarbon production levels.
Among production streams, Bonny Terminal led the pack with a total blend of 293,870 bpd, closely followed by Forcados Terminal at 289,900 bpd. Qua Iboe ranked third with 173,360 bpd, while Escravos Oil Terminal contributed 135,470 bpd.
Odudu (Amenam Blend) completed the top five production streams, accounting for 63,250 bpd during the month under review.
In another development, Nigeria’s gas production rose to 7.93bcf/d in May 2026, representing a 0.63% year-on-year increase from the 7.88bcf/d recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
A breakdown of May’s production data showed that Associated Gas accounted for 3.96bcf/d, while Non-Associated Gas contributed 3.98bcf/d. This indicates that non-associated gas is increasingly carrying its own weight in the production mix and reflects the maturation of dedicated gas development initiatives.
On a month-on-month basis, gas production declined marginally by 0.12% from 7.94bcf/d recorded in April.
Over the past five months, gas production has maintained a positive trajectory, rising from 7.80bcf/d in January to 7.81bcf/d in February, 7.85bcf/d in March, and 7.94bcf/d in April.
In terms of gas utilisation during the period, export sales declined from 4.13bcf/d to 3.07bcf/d, accounting for 40% of total production. Meanwhile, sales to the domestic market increased from 2.03bcf/d to 2.18bcf/d, representing 26.6% of total gas utilisation.
The increase in domestic sales reflects ongoing efforts to meet local supply obligations.
As the power, industrial, and gas-based manufacturing sectors continue to expand under the national gas agenda, the potential for further growth remains significant.
Further analysis shows that 2.11bcf/d, representing 26.5% of total production, was allocated to own-use, while 0.57bcf/d, or 6.9%, was flared, underscoring the country’s commitment to ending routine gas flaring by 2030.
Year-to-date production remained firm at an average of 7.87Bscf/d, up from 7.82Bscf/d recorded in the first quarter, and increased further to 7.94Bscf/d across April and May 2026.
