By Ayomide Otitoju
Nigeria’s crude oil production has risen to its highest level in five years, reaching 1.71 million barrels per day between April 2025 and April 2026, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
The figures were contained in the NNPC One-Year Mandate Report Summary shared on X by Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Ojulari.
The report showed that the company’s upstream subsidiary, NNPC Exploration and Production Limited, achieved a record output of 565,000 barrels per day in December 2025.
In the gas sector, NNPC said it completed the River Niger crossing of the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano pipeline and fully welded the line in July 2025. It also commissioned the Assa North–Ohaji South gas processing plant and the Obiafu–Obrikom–Oben pipeline connection, while sustaining gas supply at 7.5 billion standard cubic feet per day in 2025. New supply agreements were signed with Dangote Cement, Dangote Refinery, and CNG Ibese.
The company launched its Gas Master Plan in January 2026 and signed a tripartite agreement with China Gas Holding Ltd and Peiyang Chemical Singapore to develop Nigeria’s gas resources.
NNPC also said it consolidated a 7.25 per cent equity stake in the Dangote Refinery and introduced an incorporated joint venture model for its refineries to improve efficiency and self-financing.
Other milestones include shipping partnerships with Stena Bulk and Sonangol, the export of a new crude grade named Cawthorne, and expansion of its Oleum lubricant brand across West Africa.
On internal reforms, the company said it recruited 1,000 staff, introduced a new performance management system, and launched a women-in-NNPC initiative to enhance inclusion. It also reinstated monthly performance reporting and held its first earnings call in November 2025, while resuming regular remittances to the federation account since July 2025.
The report added that presidential approval was secured for incentives to advance the Bonga South-West Aparo project, while new production sharing contracts were executed for PPL 2000 and 2001 covering deepwater non-associated gas development.
It also noted the resolution of the long-standing OPL 245 dispute, which was converted into a new production-sharing agreement covering multiple petroleum licences.
