Improved Regulation, Drilling Push Nigeria’s Oil Output To 1.8m bpd
Crude Oil Production Rises To 1.8m bpd — Ojulari
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) on Thursday said crude oil production had risen to 1.8 million barrels per day in the last month.
The development was disclosed by the Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, at the 2026 Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) Conference in Lagos.
Speaking on behalf of Ojulari, the company’s Chief Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said Nigeria’s crude oil production had risen to 1.821 million barrels per day (bpd), including condensates, reflecting improved regulation and increased upstream activities.
According to Ojulari, the approach had helped to improve the operating environment and accelerate activities across the upstream sector.
“Today, we are doing 1.821 million barrels per day,” he said. “The country has recorded more than 80 per cent success in its efforts to improve production.”
The conference was themed: ‘Access To Assets: Empowering Players & Driving Growth’.
Ojulari’s confirmation of improved oil production came a few days after the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, said on Tuesday in Abuja that the increase was driven by improved collaboration between the government and industry stakeholders, as well as efforts to remove bottlenecks that had slowed investment.
Lokpobiri made the remarks at the fifth anniversary commemoration of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
He also highlighted the increase in drilling activities, saying the number of active rigs had risen from fewer than 10 when the administration assumed office to more than 70 currently.
He said sustained drilling activities were critical to increasing production and achieving Nigeria’s target of raising crude oil output to about three million bpd.
According to him, Nigeria’s vast petroleum reserves would only translate into economic value if the government continued to create an enabling environment for investment and issued licences to investors with the requisite financial and technical capacity.
Nigeria produced 1,677,777 barrels of crude oil and condensate per day in August 2026, representing an increase of 0.4 per cent compared with the figure recorded in July.
