By Ayomide Otitoju
Nigeria has maintained crude oil production above the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) assigned quota for two consecutive months, according to the group’s August 2025 Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR).
The report showed that the country’s average daily crude output rose to 1.505 million barrels per day (mbpd) in June and 1.507 mbpd in July, slightly exceeding the 1.5 mbpd quota set for it by OPEC. This marks the third time in 2025 that Nigeria has met its production target, following similar performance in January.
By comparison, production fell short in previous months, with output averaging 1.46 mbpd in February, 1.40 mbpd in March, 1.48 mbpd in April, and 1.45 mbpd in May.
Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), attributed the gains to the federal government’s Project One Million Barrels Initiative launched in 2024. He said the programme is driving output through the reactivation of dormant fields, expedited regulatory approvals, and improved efficiencies across the upstream sector.
Komolafe noted that overall oil production, including condensates, has climbed from 1.4 mbpd to around 1.7 mbpd. He added that the recent increase of about 300,000 barrels per day underscores government efforts to achieve its ambitious target of 2 mbpd in the near term.
“With a clear goal of raising production from 1.46 mbpd to 2.5 mbpd by 2026, the initiative has already shown strong momentum, with current unreconciled daily production averaging between 1.7 and 1.83 mbpd,” he said.
