Daily oil production in Nigeria has reached 1.84 million barrels per day, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has confirmed. The figure was disclosed by NUPRC Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, during a meeting with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, on Friday. Edun welcomed the development, calling it "fantastic news" and in line with President Bola Tinubu's mandate. He urged the commission to sustain the momentum and push toward the 2 million barrels per day target.
Eyesan attributed the recent increase to the resolution of technical issues and completion of turnaround maintenance that had previously caused a dip in February. She noted that production is now ramping up steadily. The NUPRC boss also confirmed the commission is in the technical and financial evaluation stage of the 2025 licensing round. Provisions like the "drill or drop" clause in the Petroleum Industry Act are being used to activate dormant oil blocks, with some new acreages expected to yield production within a year.
Indigenous oil companies are playing a growing role, Eyesan said. The commission has also complied with Executive Order 9 of 2026, halting the 30% Frontier Exploration Fund deduction from profit oil and gas and redirecting the funds to the Federation Account.
Hitting 1.84 million barrels per day is progress, but Wale Edun's public praise of NUPRC risks conflating short-term gains with structural turnaround. The real test isn't the number itself, but whether Nigeria can maintain it without relying on temporary fixes or global crises that lift prices. With Brent crude at $109 and WTI at $111, the window to lock in gains is open — but past performance suggests sustainability remains a gamble.
