Nigeria Tops OPEC Quota for Fifth Straight Month as Output Hits 1.53 Million bpd

Nigeria produced an average of 1.53 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in September, exceeding its OPEC quota for the fifth consecutive month. Data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) put the figure at 102 per cent of the country's assigned quota of 1.5 million barrels per day.

The September volume covers crude oil only and excludes condensates. It keeps Nigeria above its OPEC ceiling despite the long-running operational and security problems that have held back the upstream sector.

Five Months Above Quota

The NUPRC data shows crude output has stayed at or above the quota since May. Production opened at 1.53 million bpd in May, climbed to 1.55 million bpd in June, slipped to 1.51 million bpd in July, and settled at 1.5 million bpd in August. September rose again to 1.53 million bpd.

The commission also reported combined crude oil and condensate production of 1,717,030 bpd in September, a 2.34 per cent increase over the previous month. Daily output peaked at 1.84 million barrels during the month. The lowest single-day figure was 1.68 million barrels.

Stable Assets, No Major Outages

NUPRC tied the improved performance to stable operations across most producing assets and the absence of major pipeline outages during the period. The regulator said this operational stability lifted production uptime and the efficiency of crude evacuation, which supported the sustained rise in output.

It added that the September result reflected continued efforts by operators and other industry stakeholders to improve operational efficiency, maintain asset integrity and strengthen production reliability across Nigeria's upstream petroleum sector.

Terminal Breakdown

Forcados Terminal recorded the highest daily average crude oil and condensate output at 320,320 bpd. Bonny Terminal followed with 303,270 bpd.

The September numbers extend Nigeria's recent production recovery, with crude output holding at or above the OPEC quota since May.

For a country that has repeatedly missed its OPEC targets in past years, five straight months of compliance points to improving asset reliability. The gains matter for the naira, since oil remains Nigeria's main source of foreign exchange. Higher and steadier output means stronger dollar inflows and more fiscal room for the federal government, though condensate is not counted under the OPEC quota and does not carry the same weight in the compliance maths.