Nigeria sustained crude oil production above its OPEC quota in July 2026 despite a 4 per cent month-on-month decline attributed largely to operational disruptions at the Erha and Akpo fields.

Data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed that the country produced an average of 1.505 million barrels per day (mbpd) of crude oil during the month, while condensate production stood at 0.17mbpd, bringing combined daily production to 1.67mbpd.

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The July performance kept Nigeria above its OPEC production allocation of 1.5mbpd and marked another month of compliance with the quota as the country continues efforts to restore and stabilise its upstream production capacity.

However, the month-on-month decline indicated that production remained vulnerable to disruptions affecting key producing assets. The NUPRC attributed the reduction principally to operational challenges at the Erha and Akpo fields, which constrained output during the period and contributed significantly to the overall fall in national production.

Despite the disruptions, production from other assets remained relatively stable, with operators deploying measures to sustain operational efficiency and limit the impact of the affected fields.

The country’s combined crude oil and condensate production peaked at 1.78mbpd during July, while the lowest daily output recorded was 1.57mbpd, underscoring the fluctuations that characterised production during the month.

A breakdown of production by terminals and streams showed that Forcados Terminal remained the largest contributor, with an average daily output of 322.34 thousand barrels per day (kbpd), followed by Bonny Terminal with 303.72kbpd.

Qua Iboe Terminal recorded an average of 158.02kbpd of crude oil and condensates, while Escravos Oil Terminal posted an average daily output of 131.41kbpd. Bonga ranked fifth among the leading producing streams, recording an average of 100.23kbpd of crude oil.

Routine production and crude evacuation activities were largely sustained across the industry during the month, indicating that the disruptions at Erha and Akpo did not result in a broader deterioration of upstream operations.

The July figures nevertheless highlight the continuing importance of asset reliability and operational resilience to Nigeria’s efforts to raise crude production and consistently meet its OPEC allocation.

Industry stakeholders are now focused on resolving the operational difficulties affecting the disrupted fields, restoring lost production capacity and strengthening the reliability of critical upstream assets.

For Nigeria, sustaining production above its OPEC quota will depend not only on the availability of crude reserves but also on the ability of operators and regulators to anticipate operational risks, respond quickly to disruptions and maintain uninterrupted production and evacuation across the country’s major oil-producing assets.