The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) says despite a decline in production, Nigeria retained its position as Africa’s largest crude oil producer in May.
In its latest monthly report on Monday, the oil cartel said Nigeria’s oil output dropped to 1.45 million barrels per day (bpd) in May — from 1.48 million bpd in the previous month.
According to the report, despite the decline, Nigeria’s oil output, which is the biggest in Africa, surpassed Libya, Algeria, and Congo.
OPEC noted that its figures were derived from direct communication.
Building on the momentum from May, Nigeria outpaced Libya, which produced 1.36 million bpd, Algeria (920,000 bpd), and Congo (268,000 bpd).
OPEC said data obtained from secondary sources indicated that Nigeria’s production reached 1.54 million bpd in May, an increase from 1.52 million bpd in April.
“Total DoC crude oil production averaged 41.23 mb/d in May 2025, which is 180 tb/d higher, m-o-m,” the report reads.
On June 13, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said it will implement the ‘drill or drop’ policy, which requires operators to either commence crude production within a set timeframe or relinquish their licences.
On the same day, the commission said the country’s oil production decreased to 1,452,941 bpd in May.
The NUPRC also noted that the average crude oil production for May represents 97 percent of the 1.5 million bpd quota set for Nigeria by OPEC.