Nigeria’s crude oil output jumped to a 15-month high in May as Africa’s top producer continues to ramp up production, data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed.
Nigeria pumped 1.53 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude last month, the highest level since January 2025, as the African country now produces at its ceiling per the OPEC+ group’s agreements, after years of failing to do so due to sabotage, oil theft, and oil spills.
Nigeria actually produced 102% of its OPEC+ quota of 1.5 million bpd in May, slightly exceeding the ceiling. Hardly anyone can blame it for exceeding its quota in the current global supply crisis.
Combined with 170,446 bpd of condensate output, Nigeria’s total crude and condensate production reached an 11-month high at 1.7 million bpd in May. The last time Nigeria produced an average of more than 1.7 million bpd of crude and condensate for a full month was in July 2025.
Nigeria has shown sustained growth in its crude and condensate output so far this year. Total oil output rose from 1.48 million bpd in February to 1.7 million bpd in May, according to the figures reported by the NUPRC.
Nigeria has struggled to pump to its quota in recent years as sabotage often led to force majeure at major export streams.
However, with a recent crackdown on oil theft and sabotage in the Niger Delta, Nigeria has managed to increase crude production and aims for further growth by 2030.
Nigeria is actively increasing its crude oil production in response to major global supply disruptions caused by the ongoing war in Iran, with authorities now aiming to raise output by 100,000 barrels bpd in the immediate term to capture widening supply gaps.
Nigeria’s state-owned oil and gas company NNPC is set to increase oil production to 2 million bpd over the next two years, its executive vice president for upstream, Udy Ntia, said in November 2025.
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