The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited said on Thursday that crude oil production has risen to 1.8 million barrels per day in the last month.
Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Ojulari put the figure at 1.821 million barrels per day (bpd), including condensates.
He said the increase reflects improved regulations and upstream activities.
Ojulari Speaks In Lagos
Ojulari spoke at the 2026 Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) Conference in Lagos.
Chief Communications Officer Andy Odeh spoke on his behalf.
Ojulari said the approach has helped 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 event was themed: ‘Access To Assets: Empowering Players & Driving Growth’.
The NNPC confirmation came a few days after Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) Heineken Lokpobiri spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the fifth anniversary commemoration of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Lokpobiri said the production increase was driven by improved collaboration between the government and industry stakeholders. He also cited efforts to remove bottlenecks that had slowed investment.
He highlighted the rise in drilling activities. According to him, the number of active rigs has 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 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, an increase of 0.4 per cent when compared with July.
For Nigeria, the production figure matters because oil earnings remain a key source of government revenue and foreign exchange.
The minister said the country’s reserves would only translate into economic value if investment conditions improve.
