Nigeria’s oil production rebounded strongly in April 2026, with the country recording a combined daily average output of 1.663 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and condensates.
This is according to the latest figures released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The latest output represents a significant improvement from the 1.546 million bpd recorded in March, highlighting renewed momentum in upstream operations and improved performance across major oil assets.
Data from the commission showed that crude oil production alone stood at 1.488 million bpd in April, bringing Nigeria close to fully meeting its 1.5 million bpd production quota allocated by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
What the NUPRC is saying
The NUPRC’s Crude Oil and Condensate Production Report showed that Nigeria’s total liquids production increased by 7.58% month-on-month in April.
- Crude oil production stood at 1.488 million bpd in April 2026.
- Blended and unblended condensates contributed 174,873 bpd.
- Total liquids production rose to 1.663 million bpd from 1.546 million bpd in March.
- Nigeria achieved approximately 99.2% of its 1.5 million bpd OPEC quota.
- Production fluctuated between a low of 1.46 million bpd and a peak of 1.85 million bpd during the month.
The report also highlighted strong performances from several major export streams and offshore assets.
- Bonga recorded 3.06 million barrels in April.
- Erha contributed 2.05 million barrels.
- Anyala-Madu (CJ Blend) posted 1.81 million barrels.
- Utapate delivered 1.78 million barrels.
- Egina produced 1.47 million barrels.
- Cawthorne crude rose to 929,055 barrels during the month.
On the condensate side:
- Agbami condensate delivered 2.01 million barrels.
- Akpo condensate contributed 1.34 million barrels.
- Tulja-Okwuibome condensate recorded 304,827 barrels.
More Insights
The latest figures extend the upward production trend recorded since the beginning of the year, despite intermittent operational and security challenges across key production corridors.
April’s performance represents Nigeria’s strongest average daily oil production so far in 2026.
The improvement could be linked to enhanced field performance, improved operational efficiency, gradual restoration of disrupted assets, and the introduction of newer export grades such as Cawthorne crude.
Nairametrics had earlier reported that the introduction of the Cawthorne export stream forms part of broader efforts by Nigeria to diversify crude grades and strengthen production growth.
The latest increase also comes as the Federal Government intensifies reforms aimed at improving oil sector transparency, boosting foreign exchange inflows, and increasing federation revenues.
What you should know
In April, the Commission Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan announced Nigeria’s crude oil production increased by about 40.5% to 1.84 million barrels per day (bpd) in March.
Earlier, NUPRC reported that Nigeria supplied 28.5 million barrels of crude oil to domestic refineries in the first quarter of 2026, falling significantly short of the 61.9 million barrels allocated for the period.
In late March, Nairametrics reported that Nigeria recorded a crude oil and condensate production shortfall of about 16.6 million barrels in the first two months of 2026.
