Nigeria's Crude Output Rises to 1.459m Bpd in January

13 February 2026
Daily Trust (Abuja)
By Abdullateef Aliyu

Lagos — Nigeria's crude oil production increased to 1.459 million barrels per day (bpd) in January 2026, strengthening the country's position as Africa's largest oil producer, despite output remaining below its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota.

The figures were disclosed in OPEC's latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) released on Wednesday.

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The data points to a modest month-on-month recovery in production, signaling gradual improvement in output levels. However, it also highlights Nigeria's persistent struggle to consistently meet its assigned production ceiling amid ongoing structural and operational challenges in the oil sector.

According to the report, Nigeria's crude production rose from 1.422 million bpd in December 2025 to 1.459 million bpd in January 2026, representing an increase of 37,000 bpd.

The figures were compiled through direct communication between OPEC and Nigerian authorities.

Despite the improvement, Nigeria still fell short of its 1.5 million bpd OPEC quota, missing the target by approximately 50,000 bpd. The shortfall marks the sixth consecutive month the country has produced below its allocation.

What the data shows

A breakdown of the report indicated that January production was 1.459 million bpd as against December production of 1.422 million bpd

OPEC's secondary sources -- which include independent analysts and market trackers -- placed Nigeria's output slightly higher at 1.47 million bpd, reflecting minor differences in measurement methodologies commonly seen in OPEC reporting.

Africa's top producer

With the latest figures, Nigeria maintained its lead as the continent's largest crude producer, ahead of Libya, which recorded 1.37 million bpd during the same period.

While the incremental rise offers some optimism for government revenue and foreign exchange earnings, experts note that consistent compliance with OPEC targets will require deeper reforms, increased upstream investments, and stronger operational efficiencies.

For Nigeria, which relies heavily on oil exports to fund its budget and stabilize its currency, closing the production gap remains critical in the months ahead, according to analysts.

Nigeria has set an ambitious target of increasing production to 2m barrels per day this year with a further improvement in 2027 to 2.5m barrels per day.

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