By Ayomide Otitoju
Nigeria’s oil production climbed to an average of 1.71 million barrels of oil per day (bopd) in July 2025, according to fresh data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The output included 1.507 million bopd of crude oil and 204,864 bopd of condensates, marking a 9.9% increase from July 2024, when production stood at 1.56 million bopd. On a month-to-month basis, July’s figure also represented a modest 0.89% rise from the 1.69 million bopd recorded in June.
Among Nigeria’s crude oil terminals, Forcados led production with 9.04 million barrels in July, up 2.1% from June. Bonny followed with 8.07 million barrels, representing a sharp 12.7% increase. The Escravos terminal posted 4.47 million barrels, up 7.1%, while Bonga rose 4.2% to 3.68 million barrels. Odudu (Amenam Blend) gained 2.9% at 2.12 million barrels, Tulja-Okwuibome added 2.8% at 2.08 million barrels, and Brass surged 27% to 1.12 million barrels. Qua Iboe was the only major terminal to record a decline, dropping to 4.55 million barrels from 5.08 million barrels in June.
Despite the gains, Nigeria remains short of its 2025 federal budget target, which was pegged at 2.06 million bopd and benchmarked at $75 per barrel. Large-scale crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, particularly in the Niger Delta, have continued to undermine production.
Speaking at the Africa Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference in Abuja on Monday, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, warned that crude theft is being driven by “specialised international syndicates” exploiting security vulnerabilities.
“Crude theft and its attendant illegal activities are not purely localised; these operations involve international cartels taking advantage of gaps in security systems across Africa,” Ojulari said.
He, however, credited ongoing collaboration with security agencies for curbing the menace, noting that pipeline and terminal receipts, which once fell as low as 20–30%, are now approaching full capacity.
“Today, I can proudly report that our pipelines and terminals are attaining close to 100% receipt of crude oil due to the support of security forces and intelligence agencies,” he added.
