Nigeria recorded a modest increase in crude oil output for October, reaching 1.401 million barrels per day (bpd), compared to 1.39 million bpd in September, according to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) released on Wednesday.
The report shows that Nigeria missed its OPEC production quota for the third month in a row even with the little increase; the last compliance was in July 2025. According to OPEC data, Nigeria averaged 1.444 million bpd in the third quarter of 2025, marginally below 1.481 million bpd in the prior quarter and 1.468 million bpd in the first quarter.
The constant divide highlights the difficulties the nation has in keeping up with manufacturing recovery despite recent government initiatives and new investments in the petroleum business.
On a global scale, OPEC reported that oil supply in October surpassed demand by about 500,000 barrels daily, marking a shift from the 400,000-barrel deficit recorded in September. The increase was largely attributed to higher production from non-OPEC members, especially the United States, which accounted for over half of the global output rise.
The News Chronicle gathered that Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has expressed plans to request an upward review of Nigeria’s current OPEC quota from 1.5 million bpd to 2 million bpd.
He maintained that ongoing drilling operations, reactivation of dormant oil wells, and renewed interest from international oil companies have strengthened Nigeria’s capacity to ramp up production.
Still, industry experts point out that oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and insufficient infrastructure continue to impede Nigeria’s capacity to reach its goals. Despite increasing security along important oil corridors, production still falls short of pre-2020 levels when output always topped 1.8 million bpd.
Analysts predict that if current recovery initiatives continue, Nigeria could experience a more significant rebound in 2026. The steady increase in output, together with the restoration of regional refineries and the support from fresh private facilities like the Dangote Refinery, might stabilize the industry and improve foreign currency inflows.
October’s production is still below OPEC’s baseline, but the continuous upward trend indicates a sluggish yet hopeful course for the oil industry of Nigeria to recover.
