Nigeria sustained its compliance with its OPEC crude oil production quota for the sixth consecutive month in October, producing an average of 1.51 million barrels per day of crude oil excluding condensates, 101 percent of its assigned quota of 1.5 million barrels per day, data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission show.
The streak runs from May, when output averaged 1.53 million barrels a day, the first quota hit in 10 months. Production rose to 1.55 million in June, eased to 1.51 million in July and 1.50 million in August, recovered to 1.53 million in September and eased again to 1.51 million in October. Including condensates, total crude and condensate production averaged 1.68 million barrels a day in October, ranging from a low of 1.60 million to a peak of 1.79 million on the strongest single day.
The regulator attributed the stable performance to improved operational stability, higher production uptime and more efficient crude evacuation, and to operators maintaining asset integrity across the upstream sector. By terminal, Forcados recorded the highest average output at 318,490 barrels a day, followed by Bonny at 311,020, Qua Iboe at 173,970, Escravos at 134,670 and Bonga at 106,650.
The caveat is direction. October output fell 1.7 percent from September, a reminder that the recovery is a plateau, not yet growth. Before this run, Nigeria struggled for years to meet its allocation because of crude theft, pipeline vandalism, ageing infrastructure and operational disruptions, and sustaining the level matters for government revenue and foreign exchange inflows.
In the wider OPEC picture, Nigeria’s plateau complements the Gulf recovery: Saudi output is back near pre war levels and total OPEC+ production rose in October, while the group reviews member capacity ahead of the November 29 meeting that sets 2027 targets. Nigeria holding its quota, rather than chasing volume above it, keeps it on the compliant side of that negotiation.