Nigeria has again failed to meet its crude oil production quota set by Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after averaging 1.49 million barrels per day in April, slightly below the 1.5 million barrels per day benchmark.
According to figures released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the country produced an average of 1,488,540 barrels of crude oil daily in April, representing about 99 percent of its OPEC quota.
When condensates were included, Nigeria’s total daily oil production increased to 1.66 million barrels per day.
The latest figures contradict an earlier statement by the NUPRC last month claiming that oil production had reached an average of 1.8 million barrels per day.
The April data means Nigeria has now remained below its OPEC allocation for the ninth consecutive month since July 2025.
The NUPRC report showed that combined crude oil and condensate production reached a peak of 1.85 million barrels per day during April, while the lowest daily output was recorded at 1.46 million barrels per day.
Although production improved slightly compared to March, the country still fell short of its target. Nigeria produced 1.38 million barrels per day in March, reflecting an increase of about 69,000 barrels per day from February’s 1.31 million barrels per day output.
However, the March production level was still 117,000 barrels per day below the OPEC quota.
Nigeria’s oil sector has continued to face major challenges, including crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, ageing infrastructure and inadequate investment in upstream operations.
Despite government efforts aimed at boosting production, the country has struggled to consistently meet its OPEC targets.
The February figures had earlier revealed a month-on-month decline of 146,000 barrels per day, further widening Nigeria’s production shortfall and marking the eighth straight month below quota at the time.
Earlier NUPRC data also showed that crude oil production weakened towards the end of 2025. Output declined from 1.436 million barrels per day in November 2025 to 1.422 million barrels per day in December before recording a slight recovery in January 2026.
Nigeria started 2025 strongly with production reaching 1.54 million barrels per day in January, exceeding its OPEC allocation by about 38,700 barrels per day.
However, output dropped below the target again in February at 1.47 million barrels per day and declined further in March, highlighting persistent instability in the country’s oil production performance.
