Nigeria’s crude oil output has for the first time in 2026 reached 1.53 million barrels of crude oil per day (bpd), hitting the pinnacle in 15 months and cementing its position as Africa’s leading oil producer.

Daily Trust checks showed that the country’s production boost has been attributed to several factors, chief among which is the intense oil pipeline surveillance being carried out by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL) which is leading in the fight against illegal crude oil refining in the Niger Delta region.

With the production boost, the country also topped its Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota in the months of May, thereby setting the economic recovery to a progressive course.

Daily Trust also observed that the Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd operations has also entrenched lasting peace and stability in the Niger Delta region, as several youths in the region have been meaningfully engaged in its operations.

Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed Nigeria’s crude oil production topped its OPEC quota in May, reaching its pinnacle in 15 months and cementing its position as Africa’s leading oil producer.

The report said the country produced an average of 1.53 million barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) during the month.

With a condensate production of 170,446 bpd included, the commission put Nigeria’s average total hydrocarbon output at 1.7 million bpd.

“Nigeria’s oil production witnessed an upswing in May 2026, averaging 1,530,354 barrels of crude oil and 170,446 barrels of condensates per day, bringing the total combined production to 1,700, 800 barrels per day and consolidating Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest oil producer,” NUPRC said in a statement.

The figure represents 102 per cent of Nigeria’s OPEC production quota of 1.5 million bpd, according to the regulator. The latest performance marks a significant milestone for the country’s oil sector, with total production standing at its peak since last July, when the combined crude oil and condensate output reached 1.71 million bpd.

With the figure for condensates excluded, the 1.53 million bpd in May represents Nigeria’s strongest performance since January 2025, when output touched 1.538 million bpd. The May figure also represents a 15-month high for crude oil production, excluding condensates.

Speaking recently during a stakeholders meeting convened by Pipeline Infrastructures Nigeria Limited (PINL), one of the leading firms in pipeline surveillance in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, the Chairman of the South South Monarchs Forum, Eze Sergeant Awuse, who is also the Nye Nweli Emohua, said the peace around the oil-producing communities had become a target, and the surveillance firms are living up to the expectations.

He said: “Some people who are not patriotic enough will want to spoil your good works,” he said. “This is the time the National Security Adviser and the relevant agencies should give you more support, because if our oil production goes down, it will affect every act of governance.”

Push for peace as boost to oil production

Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL’s) role in providing pipeline surveillance operations in the Niger Delta has significantly entrenched lasting peace and stability in the region.

Findings showed that despite the escalating insecurity across several parts of the country, tension in the Niger-Delta region has been on the decline due to the lasting impact of Tantita’s operations.

For a region severally described as the goose that lays the golden eggs, Niger Delta remains central to the growth and prosperity of the national economy.

Daily Trust checks showed that Niger Delta has the potential to be a hub of economic growth and development, which can only be achieved by sustaining the prevailing peace and stability in the region.

Besides, achieving the revenue and economic growth targets of the Federal Government depends largely on the peace and stability of the Niger Delta.

Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) in collaboration with other security outfits are central in safeguarding Nigeria’s oil assets and ensuring a lasting peace in the Niger Delta region.

Violent activities reduced in South-South

As captured in the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED), violent events declined by 20.9 per cent in the South-South geopolitical region between 2023 and 2025. The rate of fatalities arising from such violent events in the oil rich region declined by 8.3 per cent within the same period of time.

Although the rate of similar conflicts declined by a higher margin of 26.9 per cent in the South-East region, the rate of fatalities resulting from such events increased within the region by 8.3 per cent.

The violent events tracked by ACLED within the period under review include violence against civilians, battles between the authorities and armed groups, protests, strategic developments, riots, and explosions/remote violence.

The South-West recorded a decline of 14.1 per cent in the total number of incidents between 2023 and 2025. However, the fatality rate increased by 12.21 per cent. The picture takes a different look in the three geopolitical regions of Northern Nigeria.

Further analysis of the database showed that North-West incidents increased by 127.9 per cent between 2023 and 2025 and in the process, recorded an increase of 99.1 per cent in fatality rate.

For the South-South, a total of 651 conflicts occurred in 2023; 720 incidents in 2024, and 515 incidents in 2025. These sum up to a total of 1,886 for the period of review.

In the South-South, regional fatalities rose from 399 in 2023 to 438, but declined significantly to 366 in 2025. These add up to 1,203 within a period of three years, 2023 to 2025.

Views from Stakeholders

Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Dekor Dumnamene Robinson, recently said the contributions of Tantita and its leadership to national security deserve appreciation.

Also, lawmakers under the Joint Committee of the House of Representatives on Host Communities and Public Petitions and other stakeholders also commended Tantita for what they described as effective and patriotic service in safeguarding Nigeria’s critical oil infrastructure.

They specifically cited the recovery of crude oil production, reduction in pipeline vandalism and restoration of relative peace in oil-producing communities as major achievements recorded under the leadership of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Government Ekpemupolo.

“Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, in partnership with NNPCL, has rendered demonstrably effective service in the protection of crude oil pipelines and the recovery of national crude oil production,” they stated.

The Joint Committee subsequently passed a unanimous vote of confidence in the company and called on the Federal Government and NNPCL to approve a long-term renewal of the surveillance contract to consolidate gains already achieved in the fight against crude oil theft and illegal bunkering.

“Tompolo and his team have served this country at great personal risk. They have kept the economic lifeline of the nation running and restored peace to communities that had not experienced peace in decades,” he said.

The National Chairman of Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM), His Highness Benjamin Style Tamaranebi JP had further commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the confidence he has reposed in Tantita as a critical part of the security apparatus for protecting oil assets in the Niger Delta.

“Let us be clear: Destroying our oil assets is economic suicide. It’s a direct attack on the very lifeline of our communities. Our host communities have endured environmental degradation, economic hardship, and neglect for decades. The passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was a turning point, ensuring that our communities finally receive direct benefits from the resources extracted from our land,” he said.

He said: “HOSTCOM believes that the unique understanding of the Niger Delta terrain by Tantita and its personnel is vital for effective onslaught against oil theft, and it’s imperative that our security agencies and other critical stakeholders in our region recognise the selfless contributions of Tantita and its main promoter, our own indefatigable Niger Delta crusader for better life for our people and champion of equitable and fair distribution of the nation’s resources, High Chief, Dr. Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, the Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation and support them”.

A Lagos-based oil and gas analyst, Jamiu Idris, said to appreciate the current stability in the Niger Delta region, one must recall the state of near-collapse that defined Nigeria’s oil industry just a few years ago.

“Before the implementation of the Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) framework in late 2022, the nation faced an existential threat. Oil production had cratered to a historic low of 1.015 million barrels per day (bpd) in September 2022-a staggering decline that jeopardised the federal budget, weakened the naira, and pushed the economy toward the brink of insolvency,” he stated.