Nigeria has produced crude oil at or above its OPEC quota for the fifth consecutive month, with combined daily crude oil and condensate output rising by 2.34 per cent to 1.717 million barrels in September, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

The data also showed that combined output peaked at 1.84 million barrels on the highest-producing day of the month, while the lowest-producing day recorded 1.68 million barrels.

In a statement on Tuesday, the NUPRC's Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, said Nigeria averaged 1.53 million barrels of crude oil per day in September, excluding condensates.

"Nigeria meets OPEC quota for fifth consecutive month as daily peak hits 1.84 million barrels in September.

"Data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission also shows that single-day production hit a peak of 1.84 million barrels in the month as Nigeria consolidated its position as Africa's largest crude oil producer," the statement read.

The 1.53 million barrels represents 102 per cent of the 1.5 million barrels per day quota assigned to Nigeria by OPEC, meaning the country exceeded its target by 30,000 barrels per day.

It extends a run that began in May, when average daily output stood at 1.53 million barrels. Output was 1.55 million barrels in June, 1.51 million in July and 1.5 million in August.

The figures suggest Nigeria has kept production at or above its OPEC allocation despite long-standing challenges in the sector, including crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, operational disruptions and difficulties evacuating crude from producing fields.

The commission credited the improvement mainly to stable production across most producing assets and the absence of major pipeline outages during the month, which it said improved uptime and crude evacuation efficiency.

"The improved performance was primarily driven by stable production operations across most producing assets and the absence of any major pipeline outages during the period under review. This enhanced operational stability supported improved production uptime and crude evacuation efficiency," it said.

It added that the sustained growth reflected efforts by operators and industry stakeholders to strengthen operational efficiency, maintain asset integrity and improve production reliability.

"The sustained growth recorded in September reflects the continued commitment of operators and industry stakeholders towards improving operational efficiency, maintaining asset integrity, and enhancing production reliability across the Nigerian upstream petroleum sector," the statement said.

By terminal and stream, the Forcados Terminal was the largest contributor, averaging 320,320 barrels per day in September, followed by the Bonny Terminal with 303,270 barrels per day.


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