Nigeria has recorded its highest crude oil production level in five years, with output reaching 1.71 million barrels per day (bpd) between April 2025 and April 2026, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The figures were disclosed in the company’s One-Year Mandate Report Summary, shared by its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari. The report highlights a broad recovery in upstream operations alongside sweeping structural and operational reforms across the national oil firm.
NNPC’s exploration and production arm also posted a significant milestone, achieving a record output of 565,000 bpd in December 2025—the highest in its history.
Beyond crude production, the report underscores major strides in gas infrastructure and supply. The company completed the critical River Niger crossing segment of the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) pipeline and fully welded the line by July 2025. Key gas projects, including the Assa North-Ohaji South processing plant and the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) pipeline connection, have been successfully commissioned.
Gas supply remained stable at 7.5 billion standard cubic feet per day throughout 2025, supported by new supply agreements with major industrial players such as Dangote Cement and Dangote Refinery, as well as compressed natural gas (CNG) operations in Ibese.
In a move to deepen gas utilisation, NNPC launched its Gas Master Plan in January 2026 and entered a tripartite memorandum of understanding with China Gas Holdings Ltd and Peiyang Chemical Singapore to unlock further value from Nigeria’s vast gas reserves.
On the downstream front, the national oil company consolidated a 7.25 percent equity stake in the Dangote Refinery, describing the move as necessary to safeguard national interests. It also adopted an incorporated joint venture model for its refineries, allowing individual plants to operate independently and finance their operations.
NNPC expanded its global footprint by securing shipping partnerships with Stena Bulk and Sonangol. Additionally, the company introduced a new crude grade, Cawthorne, and scaled up the distribution of its Oleum lubricant brand across West Africa.
Internally, the organisation undertook significant reforms, including the recruitment of 1,000 new employees, the rollout of a performance management system, and the launch of a “Women in NNPC” initiative aimed at promoting gender inclusion.
To improve transparency and accountability, the company reinstated monthly performance reporting, conducted its first-ever earnings call in November 2025, and resumed regular remittances to the federation account from July 2025.
The report also reveals progress on key upstream investments, including securing presidential approval for incentives to support the final investment decision on the Bonga South-West Aparo project. Furthermore, NNPC executed a new model production sharing contract for PPL 2000 and 2001—marking the first agreement to include comprehensive provisions for developing deepwater non-associated gas resources.
In a notable legal and operational breakthrough, the long-standing dispute over OPL 245 has been resolved. The block has now been restructured into a new production-sharing arrangement covering PMLs 102 and 103, as well as PPLs 2011 and 2012.
Overall, the report reflects a year of recovery, expansion, and institutional reform for NNPC, positioning the company for sustained growth in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
