Nigeria’s crude oil production rose to 1.505 million barrels per day (mb/d) in June 2025, surpassing the 1.5mb/d quota set by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for the first time in years.
According to OPEC’s latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR), this marks an increase from 1.453mb/d in May, representing a significant step in the country’s efforts to restore output after years of underperformance.
Despite this progress, the figure still falls short of Nigeria’s 2025 budget benchmark of 2.06mb/d.
OPEC’s data shows that Nigeria’s production has steadily climbed from 1.1mb/d in 2023, to 1.3mb/d in 2024, and averaged around 1.4mb/d since the beginning of 2025.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Bayo Ojulari, attributed the improvement to increased production capacity and enhanced pipeline security.
“We’ve started growing. In March, we were producing about 1.56 million barrels per day, and we’re now at 1.63 million, including condensates. By the end of the year, we hope to hit 1.9 million barrels daily,” Ojulari said.
He revealed that Nigeria recorded 100% availability of its major crude oil pipelines throughout June—a milestone not achieved in years. He credited this to recent security interventions spearheaded by the NNPC across the Niger Delta and key oil infrastructure zones.
Ojulari also emphasized the importance of sustained investment in upstream production. He said the NNPC had consistently met its cash-call obligations to joint venture partners, a factor he described as critical to restoring investor confidence.
“With the current state of infrastructure and stability, we expect production to continue rising steadily in the months ahead,” he added.
Industry analysts believe the recent gains signal a turnaround in Nigeria’s oil sector, though reaching the 2025 budget target of 2.06mb/d will require accelerated investment, improved asset management, and sustained security efforts.
