Top Oil Producing States in Nigeria 

Welcome to our article on the top oil-producing states in Nigeria. Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer and the 14th largest globally.

There are many top oil-producing states where crude oil can be found in Nigeria.

The country’s oil industry accounts for over 90% of exports and nearly 50% of government revenue. With over 37.28 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, Nigeria’s oil & gas sector plays a vital role in the global oil market.

Nigeria occupies a strategic position in the global oil markets. As one of Africa’s largest oil producers, the country plays a vital role in meeting global oil demand.

Top Oil Producing States in Nigeria 

Onshore Fields

Rivers State

• Notable Oil Fields: Bonny, Bomu, Kolo, Obite, Soku, Cawthorne Channel, and Odudu
• Key locations:
  • Port Harcourt: Hosts major oil facilities and refineries
  • Bonny: Known for the Bonny Light crude oil and NLNG plant
  • Eleme: Houses petrochemical industries and oil pipelines
• Operators: TotalEnergies, Renaissance Africa, Oando.
• Crude Oil Pipelines: Trans Niger Pipeline, Nembe Creek Trunk Line, Oguta-Ebocha Pipeline, and others.
• Crude Oil Export Terminals: Bonny & Belema Crude Oil Export Terminals.
• Overview: Rivers State is Nigeria’s leading oil producing state. It is home to Port Harcourt, a major industrial hub. Additionally, the state is home to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) company, which is the only LNG processing facility in the country. Furthermore, Rivers State is home to two major refineries in Eleme.

Bayelsa State

• Notable Oil Fields: Nembe, Brass River, Gbaran-Ubie, Kolo Creek
• Key Locations:
  • Oloibiri: Nigeria’s first commercial oil discovery
  • Brass: A key oil location featuring the Brass Oil Terminal, which is dedicated to oil exports
  • Nembe Creek: Hosts several oil wells and pipelines
  • Yenagoa: The capital city serves as a central hub for oil exploration
• Operators: Aiteo, Renaissance Africa, Oando.
• Crude Oil Pipelines: Trans Niger Pipeline, Nembe Creek Trunk Line, Tebidaba-Brass Pipeline.
• Crude Oil Export Terminals: Brass & Stubb Creek Oil Export Terminal.
• Overview: Bayelsa State is another top location for crude oil in Nigeria. The state is home to several major oil fields, including Nembe.

Delta State

• Notable Oil Fields: Ughelli West & East, Forcados, Escravos
• Key Locations:
  • Warri: A major oil city featuring refineries, petrochemical plants, and an export terminal.
  • Escravos: Houses the Escravos Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) plant and oil terminals.
  • Forcados: Known for its export terminal
  • Operators: Seplat, Chevron, NPDC.
• Crude Oil Pipeline: Trans-Forcados Pipeline.
• Crude Oil Export Terminals: Forcados & Escravos Terminal.
• Overview: Delta State is another top location for crude oil in Nigeria. The state has several significant oil fields, including the Forcados and Escravos.

Akwa Ibom State

• Notable Oil Fields: Ibeno, Stubb Creek, Qua Iboe, and Eket.
• Key Locations:
  • Eket: Home to several offshore oil platforms
  • Ibeno: Hosts Seplat’s operational headquarters
  • Qua Iboe Terminal: A vital export point for Qua Iboe crude oil
• Operators: Seplat.
• Crude Oil Pipeline: Qua Iboe Pipeline Network.
• Crude Oil Export Terminal: Qua Iboe Terminal.
• Overview: Akwa Ibom is one of Nigeria’s top oil producers, primarily known for the Ibeno oil field, which is one of the country’s largest. The state’s oil fields are mainly offshore. Still, it also has significant onshore reserves in the Qua Iboe and Eket regions. ExxonMobil previously operated many of these fields. However, in 2024, it sold its JV shares to Seplat Energy.

Imo State

• Notable Oil Fields: Ohaji/Egbema, Assa North fields, Oguta, Oru East, and others
• Key Locations:
  • Ohaji/Egbema: A key location for onshore oil fields
• Operators: Seplat and Renaissance Africa.
• Crude Oil Pipeline: Assa North-Ohaji South (ANOH) Pipeline Network.
• Overview: Imo State is another top location for crude oil in Nigeria.

Other Onshore Fields

Ondo State

• Notable Oil Fields: Okitipupa and Apoi
• Key Locations: Ilaje and Ese-Odo

Abia State

• Notable Oil Fields: Imo River and Owaza
• Key Locations: Ukwa West and Ugwunagbo

Cross River State

• Notable Oil Fields: Odukpani oil
• Key Locations: Calabar and Odukpani

Anambra State (New Frontier)

• Notable Oil Fields: Anambra Basin
• Key Locations: Aguleri and Ogbaru

Lagos State

• Notable Oil Fields: Aje Field (offshore)
• Key Locations: Badagry

Edo State

• Notable Oil Fields: Oredo, Ovia
• Operators: NPDC, Seplat
• Key Locations: Ologbo, which hosts oil and gas operations

Gombe and Bauchi States (Northern Frontier)

• Notable Oil Fields: Kolmani River Oil Field, Lake Chad Basin, Sokoto & Bida Basins
• Key Locations: Kolmani

Offshore Oil Fields

Offshore oil fields, particularly Deepwater in the Gulf of Guinea, are Nigeria’s top crude oil locations. Some of the largest global oil companies manage these fields in partnership with local firms.

Bonga Field (Deepwater)

• Location: 120 km offshore, in the Gulf of Guinea
• Operator: Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo)
• Overview: The Bonga field is one of the most significant Deepwater oil fields and one of Nigeria’s top locations for crude oil. It contributes substantially to Nigeria’s crude oil output, with an estimated production capacity of 200,000 barrels per day. The field was discovered in 1996, and production began in 2005.

Erha Field (Deepwater)

• Location: 60 km off the coast of Nigeria, in water depths of around 1,000 meters
• Operator: ExxonMobil
• Overview: The Erha field is one of Nigeria’s largest deepwater and top crude oil locations. Initially discovered in 1997, production began in 2006, and production capacity is roughly 200,000 barrels per day. The field mainly produces crude oil but also produces gas.

Agbami Field (Deepwater)

• Location: About 70 km offshore
• Operator: Chevron
• Overview: The field has been a key contributor to Nigeria’s oil output, producing over 250,000 barrels daily. Production began in 2008.

Egina & Akpo Field (Deepwater)

• Location: 200 kilometres from the coast of Nigeria
• Operator: TotalEnergies
• Overview: The Akpo and Egina fields are large deepwater oil and gas fields and Nigeria’s top crude oil locations. Production began in Akpo in 2009, while production began in December 2018 in Egina. Akpo’s production capacity is over 150,000 barrels per day of condensates, while Egina’s is roughly 250,000 barrels daily of crude oil.

USAN Field (Deepwater)

• Location: 100 km from the coast of Akwa Ibom State
• Operator: ExxonMobil
• Overview: USAN is a major Deepwater oil field operated by ExxonMobil. Discovered in 2002 and in production since 2012, the field has a production capacity of around 180,000 barrels per day.

Other Offshore Assets

• Zabazaba Field (Bayelsa State): A yet-to-be-fully-developed Deepwater project.

Key Oil Companies Operating in Nigeria

• Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC Limited): The NNPC is Nigeria’s state-owned oil company. It manages the country’s oil and gas resources. It operates joint ventures with several international oil companies, including Chevron, Total, and ExxonMobil.
• Shell: One of the largest deepwater players in Nigeria, operating deepwater fields like Bonga
• ExxonMobil: A major Deepwater operator in Nigeria, particularly in fields like Erha and USAN.
• Chevron: Active in both onshore and offshore fields in Nigeria, including Agbami, Escravos, and Olero Creek.
• TotalEnergies: Operates key offshore fields like Obite, Egina, Odudu, and Akpo.
• Oando: Active in the Niger Delta region, particularly with the Ebocha, Ogbainbiri and Okpai fields. In 2024, Oando bought NAOC’s JV assets.
• Seplat Energy: An emerging player in Nigeria operating in onshore fields like Oben, Sapele, Ovhor, Amukpe, and Okporhuru Fields. Seplat also purchased ExxonMobil’s JV assets.