Nigeria’s Crude Oil Production Rises to 1.821m bpd in September

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says Nigeria’s crude oil production rose to 1.821 million barrels per day in September 2026.

The development was revealed by the chief executive of the state oil company, Mr Bayo Ojulari, at the 2026 Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) Conference in Lagos, themed Access To Assets: Empowering Players & Driving Growth.

While speaking on behalf of Mr Ojulari, NNPC’s Chief Communications Officer, Mr Andy Odeh, noted that Nigeria’s crude oil production rose to 1.821 million barrels per day, including condensates, reflecting improved regulations and upstream activities.

According to Mr Ojulari, the approach has helped to improve the operating environment and accelerate activities across the upstream sector.

“Today, we are doing 1.821 million barrels per day,” he said. “The country has recorded more than 80 per cent success in its efforts to improve production.”

Business Post reports that the 1.821 million barrels per day is different from the quota granted by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which stands at 1.5 million barrels per day, and excludes condensates.

On Tuesday, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, speaking at the fifth anniversary commemoration of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), noted that the increase was driven by improved collaboration between the government and industry stakeholders, as well as efforts to remove bottlenecks that had slowed investment.

Mr Lokpobiri had also highlighted the increase in drilling activities, saying the number of active rigs had risen from fewer than 10 when the administration assumed office to more than 70 currently.

He said sustained drilling activities were critical to increasing production and achieving Nigeria’s target of raising crude output to about three million bpd.

According to him, Nigeria’s vast petroleum reserves would only translate into economic value if the government continued to create an enabling environment for investment and issued licences to investors with the requisite financial and technical capacity.

Nigeria produced 1,677,777 barrels of crude oil and condensate per day in the month of August 2026, representing an increase of 0.4 per cent when compared to the month of July.