Bonny and Forcados lead a stunning production rebound, bringing Nigeria to 99% of its OPEC quota for the first time in years
Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production surged to an average of 1.66 million barrels per day (bpd) in April 2026, the highest output in recent memory, according to provisional data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). The figures represent a month-on-month jump of approximately 7.6 per cent from the 1.55 million bpd recorded in March and bring the country to 99 per cent of its OPEC production quota.
Total liquid production — comprising crude oil, blended condensate, and unblended condensate — reached 49.90 million barrels for the month, or a daily average of 1,663,413 barrels. Of this, crude oil accounted for 44.69 million barrels (1,488,540 bpd) while condensates contributed 5.25 million barrels.
Bonny remained Nigeria’s highest-producing crude stream, posting 8.85 million barrels in April, up from 8.42 million barrels in March. Forcados recorded one of the strongest recoveries of the month, with production jumping to 7.35 million barrels from just 5.18 million barrels in March — a sharp turnaround driven by improved crude oil output.
Among offshore assets, Bonga delivered a strong 3.06 million barrels, up from 2.85 million barrels in March, while Erha improved to 2.05 million barrels and Egina contributed 1.47 million barrels.
Qua Iboe posted 4.97 million barrels, slightly below March levels, while Escravos fell to 4.13 million barrels. Smaller streams including Ugo Ocha, Sea Eagle, Anyala Madu, Pennington, Abo, and Nembe also provided stable contributions, reinforcing broad supply stability across the sector.
The output improvement comes as Brent crude traded above $120 per barrel during parts of April, significantly boosting the revenue outlook for the federal government and foreign exchange inflows. Analysts say the combination of stronger production and elevated prices could markedly improve fiscal performance as Nigeria seeks to fund its 2026 budget.
Despite the encouraging performance, analysts caution that sustaining higher output will depend on continued pipeline security, stable operations at key terminals, and accelerated upstream investment. The NUPRC noted that the April figures are provisional and may be subject to slight adjustments in final reconciled numbers.
Sources: allafrica.com