Nigeria’s crude oil production slipped slightly to 1.422 million barrels per day (bpd) in December 2025, down from 1.436 million bpd in November.
According to the latest Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) released on Wednesday, Nigeria has now missed its OPEC-assigned production quota for the fifth consecutive month, demonstrating persistent output challenges despite ongoing reforms in the upstream sector.
The OPEC data indicates that Nigeria last met its production quota in July 2025, with output remaining below target from August through December.
Quarterly figures reveal a consistent decline across 2025: Q1: 1.468 million bpd; Q2: 1.481 million bpd; Q3: 1.444 million bpd; and Q4: 1.42 million bpd.
The downward trend highlights structural and operational constraints affecting Nigeria’s oil production capacity.
OPEC compiles production data using two approaches: direct communication from member countries and estimates from secondary sources such as independent energy intelligence agencies.
While Nigeria’s output declined based on direct communication data, secondary sources cited by OPEC presented a more optimistic outlook.
According to the secondary estimates, Nigeria produced 1.5 million bpd in December, a 1.35% increase from the 1.48 million bpd recorded in November.
Despite falling short of its quota, Nigeria maintained its position as Africa’s largest oil producer, ahead of Libya, which produced 1.37 million bpd during the same period.
At the broader OPEC level, crude oil production by countries participating in the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) averaged 42.83 million bpd in December 2025, reflecting a month-on-month decline of 238,000 bpd, based on secondary source data.
Crude oil remains Nigeria’s largest source of foreign exchange earnings and government revenue.
Sustained underperformance against OPEC quotas limits the country’s ability to fully benefit from higher global oil prices, at a time when fiscal pressures and foreign exchange shortages persist.
