By Francis Ajuonuma
Nigeria maintained compliance with its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota for the third consecutive month in July, with combined crude oil and condensate output averaging 1.67 million barrels per day, latest figures from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, have shown.
The development provides a boost to Nigeria’s efforts to sustain higher crude production and strengthen government revenues.
However, the figures also revealed a month-on-month decline linked to operational challenges at some major oil assets.
According to the data released by NUPRC, Nigeria produced an average of 1.505 million barrels per day of crude oil in July, while condensate production stood at 170,000 barrels per day.
The combined output of 1.67 million barrels per day surpassed the country’s OPEC quota of 1.5 million barrels per day.
The figures were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of Media and Corporate Communications, NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu.
Production fluctuated during the month, reaching a daily peak of 1.78 million barrels per day and falling to a low of 1.57 million barrels per day.
However, despite the achievement, Nigeria’s total production declined by four per cent compared with the previous month.
The regulator attributed the reduction primarily to operational difficulties at the Erha and Akpo fields, which affected production volumes during the period.
The disruptions, NUPRC said, constrained national output, although other producing assets remained relatively stable and operators took measures to limit the impact on overall production.
The production figures also showed significant contributions from some of Nigeria’s major oil terminals and production streams.
Forcados recorded the highest average output at 322.34 thousand barrels per day, followed by Bonny Terminal with 303.72 thousand barrels per day.
Qua Iboe Terminal produced an average of 158.02 thousand barrels per day of crude oil and condensate, while Escravos recorded 131.41 thousand barrels per day.
Bonga ranked fifth among the leading producing streams, with an average output of 100.23 thousand barrels per day of crude oil.
The latest performance marks another month in which Nigeria has exceeded its OPEC production allocation, despite persistent operational challenges across the upstream sector.
NUPRC said routine production and crude evacuation activities continued across the industry, while operators worked to maintain efficiency and minimise disruptions.
The regulator stressed that restoring affected production capacity would be critical to sustaining the upward trend and improving Nigeria’s output in subsequent months.
The commission also highlighted the importance of stronger asset management, operational resilience and timely intervention in addressing production disruptions.
The July performance comes at a time when increased crude production remains central to Nigeria’s efforts to improve oil revenues, strengthen government finances and maximise the economic benefits of its petroleum resources.
NUPRC said industry stakeholders remained focused on resolving production constraints and improving the reliability of upstream assets to sustain the country’s recent gains.
