MON JULY 13 2026-theGBJournal| Nigeria’s oil production extended its recovery in June, with crude oil and condensate output rising for a fourth consecutive month to the highest level in more than six years, as improved operational stability and uninterrupted pipeline operations enabled Africa’s largest producer to outperform its OPEC production target.
Official production data released by The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed Nigeria produced an average of 1.735 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and condensates in June, up 2.2 per cent month-on-month from 1.700 million bpd in May.
The latest figure marks a sustained rebound from 1.663 million bpd in April, 1.546 million bpd in March, and 1.483 million bpd in February, highlighting a steady improvement in upstream production over the past four months.
The June performance was underpinned by average crude oil production of 1.56 million bpd, complemented by 180,000 bpd of condensates.
Excluding condensates, Nigeria’s crude production surpassed the country’s 1.5 million bpd OPEC quota by about 4 per cent, making June another month in which Africa’s largest oil producer comfortably exceeded its assigned output ceiling.
More significantly, the 1.56 million bpd recorded in June represents Nigeria’s highest crude oil production since April 2020—a 74-month high—underscoring the country’s strongest operational performance in more than six years after a prolonged period of underproduction caused by oil theft, pipeline vandalism and infrastructure disruptions.
The latest figures also point to growing production resilience. During June, combined crude oil and condensate output peaked at 1.89 million bpd, illustrating Nigeria’s capacity to move closer to the long-standing 2 million bpd production milestone should current operating conditions be sustained.
Even at its lowest point during the month, production remained at 1.57 million bpd, reflecting a much narrower production range than seen in previous years.
The contrast with earlier months is striking. Since February, Nigeria has consistently added production each month, lifting total output by more than 250,000 bpd in just four months. The progression from 1.483 million bpd in February to 1.735 million bpd in June represents one of the country’s most sustained periods of production growth in recent years.
The improvement was largely driven by stable operations across major producing assets and the absence of significant pipeline outages, allowing producers to maintain higher production uptime and improve crude evacuation efficiency.
The enhanced operational environment has also reduced disruptions that previously constrained export volumes and weighed on Nigeria’s ability to meet its production targets.
The sustained increase in output strengthens Nigeria’s position within OPEC and provides further support for government revenue, export earnings and foreign exchange inflows at a time when authorities are seeking to reinforce fiscal stability.
Maintaining current operational momentum, however, will remain critical if the country is to consistently sustain production above its OPEC quota and move closer to restoring output levels last achieved before the sharp decline that began in 2020.
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