Nigeria’s crude oil production climbed to a two-month high in April 2025, signalling modest recovery efforts in Africa’s largest oil producer.
The crude oil production surge in April occurred amid the steep fall in global oil prices, which will affect Nigeria’s budget performance.
According to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), crude oil production averaged 1.486 million barrels per day in April, up from 1.401 million bpd recorded in March.
April’s output represents a 6.06% rise from March’s production and the highest recorded since February, when production stood at 1.465 million bpd.
Nigeria’s crude oil production in April represented the country’s best performance since February. However, it fell short of OPEC+’s official quota of 1.5 million barrels per day.
Thus, April’s average crude oil production represents 99% of the 1.5 million bpd quota set for Nigeria by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Nigeria Crude Oil Production (Jan–Apr 2025)
| Month |
Crude Oil Production (bpd) |
OPEC+ Quota Compliance |
| January |
1,538,697 |
103% |
| February |
1,465,006 |
98% |
| March |
1,400,783 |
93% |
| April |
1,485,700 |
99% |
Other Key Production Figures April 2025
Including condensate, Nigeria’s total oil production averaged 1.683 million bpd in April, up from 1.603 million bpd in March. April’s total output of 1,683,307 bpd comprises 1,485,700 bpd crude oil and 197,607 bpd condensates. OPEC does not include condensates in its quotas for member states.
According to NURPCC, daily production in April ranged between 1.60 million bpd at its lowest and 1.73 million bpd at its peak.
Nigeria Crude Oil & Condensate Production (Jan–Apr 2025)
| Month |
Crude Oil Production (bpd) |
Condensate Production (bpd) |
Total Liquids (bpd) |
OPEC+ Quota Compliance |
| January |
1,538,697 |
198,783 |
1,737,480 |
103% |
| February |
1,465,006 |
206,948 |
1,671,953 |
98% |
| March |
1,400,783 |
202,993 |
1,603,776 |
93% |
| April |
1,485,700 |
197,607 |
1,683,307 |
99% |
Note: OPEC+ quotas apply only to crude oil; condensates are exempt.
Ambitious Long-Term Plans to Boost Production
This increase in Nigeria’s oil production in April is a positive development for the country’s upstream sector.
President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, announced in February that Nigeria would target daily production of 2.7 million bpd of combined crude and condensate by 2027.
Thus, the production figure is still far from the 2.7 million bpd target.
Achieving such a production target will require substantial investments in exploration and infrastructure upgrades, and resolving the issues of crude theft and pipeline vandalism.
On May 12, Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, restated the firm’s commitment to exploring oil in Nigeria’s northern region to ramp up production.
The new NNPC GCEO, presented a roadmap on April 19 to revitalize Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. Regarding crude oil production, Ojulari presented an ambitious plan to boost output to over 2 million barrels per day by 2027 and 3 million bpd by 2030.
Also, Ojulari stated that NNPC Ltd aims to attract $30 billion in investments by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.
On May 6, ExxonMobil pledged to invest $1.5 billion in deepwater exploration and development to rejuvenate the USAN deepwater oil field production. This investment is expected to be executed between the second quarter of 2025 and 2027.
