Nigeria's oil production has reached its highest level in more than six years, with the country's crude output exceeding its production quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for the first time in months.
New figures released by the Nigeria Upstream Regulatory Commission show that Africa's largest oil producer pumped an average of 1.56 million barrels of crude oil per day in June.
That was above its OPEC allocation of 1.5 million barrels per day, representing an increase of about four per cent over the assigned quota.
The latest performance also marks the strongest crude oil production recorded since April 2020, ending a 74-month wait for output to reach similar levels.
Stable operations drive stronger performance
The regulator attributed the improvement largely to uninterrupted operations across producing assets and better reliability of key crude oil pipelines.
With fewer operational disruptions and no major pipeline outages reported during the month, producers were able to sustain higher output and improve crude evacuation from oil fields to export terminals.
When condensates, which are exempt from OPEC production limits, are included, Nigeria's total oil production averaged 1.735 million barrels per day in June.
That compares with 1.700 million barrels per day recorded in May, extending a steady upward trend that has now continued for four consecutive months. June's total production was also 2.2 per cent higher than the previous month's level.
Production recovery gains momentum
Nigeria's oil sector has shown consistent improvement since the beginning of the year after years of production challenges linked to pipeline vandalism, oil theft and operational setbacks.
Output has climbed from 1.483 million barrels per day in February to 1.546 million barrels in March, before rising further to 1.663 million barrels in April. The upward trajectory continued in May at 1.700 million barrels before reaching 1.735 million barrels per day in June.
The sustained recovery is expected to strengthen government oil revenues and improve export earnings at a time when Nigeria continues efforts to stabilise its economy.
The latest figures also suggest that improved infrastructure reliability and tighter operational management are beginning to deliver measurable results, even as the country works to maintain production levels while meeting its commitments under the OPEC production framework.
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